It’s interesting to imagine myself immersed in a Bible story.
My friend Jon Swanson invited us into Joseph’s story yesterday. What would he have been thinking? How would he have responded?
I wondered what I would have done as Joseph’s buddy. Would I have supported him? Gossiped about his unfaithful fiancé? Encouraged him to stick it out or to follow the law?
We want to think we’d see God’s hand in the story, but that’s all hindsight. That’s the point of yesterday’s quote.
Imagine – Jesus’ mother walked among them. The baby she carried was God’s Son, but they hadn’t received an angelic visit. They had no way of knowing.
To me, that’s the point.
We never know.
Every single person we encounter is an image bearer of God, and we can’t possibly know the story that person carries. It doesn’t matter if the story seems ordinary or miraculous to us.
We never know.
Jesus died because that person’s individual story matters.
When I put myself in the place of Joseph’s friend, what I’m really asking is how I react to the people and stories I encounter. Do I treat everyone as though they might be a miracle… because they are.
How often do I dismiss someone? The unhoused person. The undocumented person. The person begging on the corner. The neighbor I’ve never bothered to meet.
We never know.
I wonder how often you and I pass by a miracle and ignore it.
+ + +
We will celebrate one miracle this week. I know holidays aren’t always the Norman Rockwell images we wish them to be.
However, regardless of circumstances, Becky and I wish you all a very MERRY CHRISTMAS!