As we reach the final weeks of our “Whatever It Takes” theme for 2025, we find ourselves at a powerful intersection of reflection and action. While many Windsor Colorado churches are preparing for the new year, we are looking deeply at the heart of the Christmas story through the lens of a man who said very little but did everything that mattered: Joseph.
Last week, we explored Mary’s response to God—an anchor of identity. This week, Matthew 1:18–25 shows us Joseph and the anchor of obedience. If Mary teaches us how to trust God with who we are, Joseph teaches us how to trust God with what we do.
- The Crisis of Righteousness
Joseph’s story begins in a legal and emotional crisis. Betrothed to Mary, he discovers she is pregnant. In first-century culture, this was a devastating betrayal. As a “righteous man,” Joseph faced a grueling tension: the law gave him the right to disgrace her publicly or even seek the ultimate penalty.
However, Joseph shows us that true righteousness is often defined by compassion rather than condemnation. He planned to dismiss her quietly, choosing mercy over a public spectacle. Even before the angel appeared, Joseph’s heart was already leaning toward the character of the Savior he would eventually raise.
- The Pattern of Faith: Trust Before Clarity
In our sunday services, we often talk about wanting a “map” from God. We want the whole route highlighted before we put the car in drive. But the story of Joseph reveals a different Kingdom principle: Faith usually comes first, and understanding follows.
God rarely gives us the whole map; He gives us enough light for the next step. We see this pattern throughout the Bible:
- Abraham left his home without knowing his final destination.
- The Israelites had to move toward the Red Sea while the water was still standing.
- Peter had to physically step out of the boat before he could walk on the water.
Joseph was commanded to “not be afraid” and take Mary as his wife. He didn’t have all the answers, but he had a promise: the child would “save his people from their sins.”
- The Quiet Rhythm of Obedience
Joseph never speaks a single recorded word in the New Testament. Yet, his life is a loud testimony of a quiet rhythm: God speaks, Joseph listens, and Joseph obeys.
This obedience was not cheap. It came with a significant cost:
- His Reputation: People “do the math” on pregnancies, and the math didn’t favor Joseph.
- His Comfort: His life was upended by middle-of-the-night moves to Egypt to escape Herod.
- His Timeline: His plans for a quiet life in Nazareth were scrapped for a divine calling.
Joseph chose to shoulder the weight of public suspicion so that the child he raised could one day shoulder the weight of the world’s sin.
The Signpost to a Greater Obedience
Ultimately, Joseph is a signpost pointing to Jesus. While Joseph’s obedience cost him his reputation, Jesus’ obedience cost Him His life. Jesus is the perfect example of “whatever it takes” obedience. He submitted to the Father’s will in the quiet of Nazareth, the agony of Gethsemane, and the sacrifice of the Cross.
During our sunday services, we participate in the Lord’s Table not to celebrate what we have done for God, but to remember what God has done for us. Communion is a remembrance of Christ’s perfect, costly obedience that reconciles us to the Father.
The Season of Reconciliation
The ultimate message of Christmas is Reconciliation—the restoration of a relationship between God and man. As 2 Corinthians 5:18-19 tells us, God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself.