I'm always fascinated by looking at Christmas from "the other side." What I mean by that is often we look at the Christmas story in retrospect, rather than looking at the situation from Mary and Joseph's perspective. They didn't have the knowledge of how their earthly son's life would play out. They obviously knew there was something special about this son God was giving them, but other than that, they chose to embrace God's invitation without knowing exactly what he was inviting them into. God drastically interrupted whatever expectations they had about their lives.
Mary bore the stigma of being an unwed mother in a society that would fiercely judge her. Many of her contemporaries probably saw her as a "good girl gone bad" with her unexpected pregnancy. Similarly, Joseph was willing to carry the burden of social stigma along with Mary as, after the angel appeared to him, he still took Mary as his wife, despite the rumors about their "predicament" that I'm sure were rampant in their communities.
They could have said no. They could have grasped the acceptance and familiarity that following the social norms would have afforded them. But for whatever reason, they said yes. Somehow they knew that while we busily build our ideas of life, in love God breaks into our worlds to invite us into real life.
As we celebrate Jesus' birth, may we with grace, humility and trust embrace God's interruptions in our lives.
*You can read more about Mary and Joseph in Matthew 1-2 and Luke 1-2 in the New Testament of the Bible.
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