At Christmas time, whether you believe in God or Santa Claus, the focus of the holiday is still centered on a family. It’s fitting that God, in His infinite wisdom, chose to reveal Himself to us through this family. Much is known about Mary and Jesus, but the Bible is relatively quiet on the life of Joseph. So what do we know about him? We do know that Joseph is a gentle, loving and courageous father who took his family on a dangerous journey to Egypt to escape from Herod. He taught his son his own trade, as many fathers still do today, and watched over Jesus as he grew up.
Joseph died before Jesus matured and began His ministry, but Joseph still believed. He had faith in that what he was doing was the right thing. At his best, a father is a solid foundation of a house, his support taken for granted. At other times, he may need shoring up himself. However, the father always looks beyond the here and now. He keeps one eye trained on the next generation, driven by necessity, he becomes a man filled with hope, hope that a knowing God watches over the universe, hope that justice will prevail, hope that God’s love will shine through His will. As Paul says, abide by these three: faith, hope, and love. The greatest of these is love.
When we gather this Christmas, we focus mostly on baby Jesus and Mary (and rightly so), but for me, Christmas has always been a time when I think about fathers the most. It’s a time for me to remember and reflect on what a blessing it is to have a father in my life. You see, today’s my father’s birthday.
Happy birthday Dad. Thanks for everything.
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