December 2
Matthew 1:18-23
18 This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. 19 Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.
20 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”
22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).
24 When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. 25 But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.
Joseph Accepts Jesus as His Son
by Alan Lefever, Ph.D.
Have you ever thought you had your life planned out only to have an unexpected event totally disrupt the future you had anticipated? When this has happened to me, I often recall the words of Robert Burns— “the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry.” In these moments of upheaval, we can be filled with despair, sadness, and hopelessness as the future we had planned is altered.
In Matthew 1:18-25 Joseph finds himself in this same situation. After he became engaged to Mary, he made plans for his new family and life. In an instant these plans were destroyed when he discovered that Mary was pregnant. The future he had planned and hoped for was gone. Because he cared for Mary, he chose to quietly divorce her instead of publicly disgracing her. Ironically, an Angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream to tell him that his dream was not dead, merely changed. The future he had hoped for that he thought he had lost would be replaced with an unimaginable future that would change the world; and Joseph would play an important part in making this new future happen.
Growing up, Isaiah Austin was a gifted basketball player. In high school he grew to seven feet one inch tall. He could handle, shoot, and pass the ball like a guard but had the size to play center or forward. He played two years at Baylor before declaring for the NBA draft in 2014. His dream had always been to play in the NBA, and many projected him to be a first-round lottery pick. Unfortunately, before the draft, a routine physical revealed that he had a medical condition that would prevent him from playing in the NBA. Isaiah's lifelong dream was gone. In his autobiography, “Dream Again,” Isaiah notes that the end of one dream was the beginning of another. Today Isaiah Austin is an assistant basketball coach at Florida Atlantic University where he impacts the lives of young men in a way that he never could as an NBA basketball player.
Each year at Baylor we are surrounded by students whose lifelong plans are changed causing unforeseen upheaval and often the loss of hope. We can use this passage to share that in these moments we need to realize that a change in plans does not mean a loss of hope, for the unknown that lies before us can be much greater than anything we can ever conceive because of Immanuel—“God with us.”
About the Author
Alan Lefever, Ph.D.
Alan Lefever, Ph.D., has served as an adjunct professor at Baylor University’s George W. Truett Theological Seminary since 1999. In 2024, he was named the inaugural Russell H. Dilday Visiting Professor of Baptist Life and Leadership at Truett for 2024-25. Lefever has also served as Director of the Texas Baptist Historical Collection of the Baptist General Convention of Texas since 1991.
Lefever speaks at numerous Baylor events each year on aspects of the university’s history, including Baylor Line Camp. Lefever is the author of several books and articles including The History of Baylor Sports and has been recognized many times for his work in Texas Baptist history. He has actively supported the external work of the university by serving as president of both the Baylor Bear Foundation and the Baylor Alumni Board of Advocates.