"Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way." So begins Matthew's "Christmas story" which doesn't really tell of Jesus' birth at all. Instead it tells of Joseph learning that his betrothed is pregnant, and making plans to quietly divorce her so as not to cause her any public humiliation. Joseph acts as he does because he is "a righteous man."Because he is a righteous man, a person who lives by God's laws and tries to do what is right, Joseph sets out to interfere with God's plans for salvation. Because he tries to play by the religious rules, Joseph finds himself an impediment to God. Fortunately Joseph pays attention to his dream where an angel of the Lord explains what is going on. Fortunately Joseph is willing to break the rules when doing so ends up helping God.
We know the Christmas story so well that it is hard for it to surprise us. Yet God's new thing arrives by most surprising means. It comes outside regular channels, even outside the rules. Jesus' birth will be known only to angels and outsiders, to country bumpkin shepherds and to Gentile foreigners. None of the local religious folks are invited. Perhaps God knows that they would be too offended by all the broken rules.
We need laws. We need religious rules and doctrines. But all these are only instruments. We do not serve them. We serve God, God who sends a Savior we might well have missed, if we didn't already know the story.
Joy to the world! The Lord is come. A blessed Christmas to all.
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