Introduction

Christmas is nearly here. Even though it’s been in the shops a lot longer, we as believers in Jesus celebrate the most important day in history, when God had his first birthday!

At a time of such darkness what a difference it makes that the Light of the World took on flesh, became an embryo, a tiny baby born in a very hostile and volatile place, still the most contested geography on earth.

That the Prince of heaven though he was rich became poor for our sakes, to set up and establish his own Kingdom which he said is not of this world.

I don’t know if ever the world seemed more like it needs God to come closer, and no wonder many people as they look at the Bible and the news are wondering whether Jesus’ return will be soon.

One thing I know is that as the Bible says it’s sooner than when we first believed, though he himself said we won’t be able to predict it accurately whatever anyone might tell you this or that sign is or means. That’s not our job, to try to guess dates for when he might come. Our job is to be ready, because he will come again to judge the living and the dead. And when he come it will be unmistakable, it won’t be in hiddenness like the first time he came, every eye will see him.

But when you look at that first Christmas nobody was ready, even though they may have said they were waiting. They had so much of the Bible and prophecies predicting when and where and how he’d come but it was still a surprise.

Nobody had it all figured out but God himself. Galatians 4:4 says “At just the right time, sent forth his Son, to be born of a woman …” to rescue and redeem us. It happened at just the right time, over 2000 years ago. That was the right time for God to come into the mess as the Messiah. Fully human and fully God.

God’s Purpose

Just the right time. Literally “the fullness of time” many translations say. According to whom? Do you know by now that your idea of when God should do something and his might be very different? And his timing too?

One of the best ways to find that out is by prayer. God always answers prayer! Sometimes he says yes. Sometimes he says no. Sometimes he says wait. But he always answers prayer.

I have found the waiting times can be even harder than the no times, but that’s when we grow in faith and trust and perseverance. When my plan and his plan seem to be clashing but we are just running on different timetables.

So often I look back on what I thought was a no and realise now it was just a wait. Or I was glad that he didn’t say yes when I wanted it. Because he knew what was going to be better for me.

Do you know what I mean? God is good. That’s why we have Christmas in the first place, because God saw that the world he made was going bad. But he is good. So he sent his Son to be with us.

You want to know some great theology? God is always good and he’s always working all things together for him for those who love him and are called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28 says “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

Notice it’s his purpose that prevails, not my plans, or my timing. So, according to his good purpose, God came to earth, Jesus was born, “at just the right time”

According to whom? According to God, who is Sovereign over all things, who declares the end from the beginning and knows how things will happen before they ever happen. He knows how many hairs are on your head today, and if a sparrow falls to the ground he knows that too. Jesus says it won’t happen without his knowledge. None of it is outside his care or control or concern. In other words nothing takes him by surprise.

He works out all things according to his own good pleasure. Nothing surprises the everlasting God. But when we look at the various characters in the Gospels, we see that Jesus’ coming was a surprise to them, wasn’t it?

Every one of them was taken by surprise, and then had a choice about how they would respond. We are going to look at some of them in this series. People like Mary, Joseph, the Magi, Herod, the shepherds. Even though so much was prophesied and foretold in the Bible, they were all taken by surprise, it rocked their world.

But what may have seemed like it was going to wreck everything was God putting everything right. In ways they could not possibly fully understand at the time. That’s what faith looked like for them. To even trust him that what seemed like a curse, was a blessing.

God’s Dreams for Us

That was certainly true for Joseph. You know who he is, there’s no nativity scene without him. Joseph the husband of Mary, and the foster father of Jesus. That’s the best way to describe his relationship because Mary was the birth mother but Joseph son of Jacob whose genealogy is listed by Matthew just before we hear his part of the story was of course not the birth father.

So many people who foster and adopt really do a wonderful, godly thing, to open their hearts and lives to another. What a blessing. But God did not become the Father when Jesus was born. God has always known what it is to be a Father because God is three in one. When we look at Scripture God is revealed as the everlasting Father, the eternal Son, and the Holy Spirit.

But did you notice it said in Galatians 4:4 earlier he sent forth his Son at just the right time to save us? So, The Father sent forth his only begotten Son (Christ), so that we could join his forever family as adopted children and know him as Father too.

God did not become a Father at Bethlehem. But Joseph did. He became the adopting father or foster father who would raise the Son of whom? The Son of God. According to God’s purpose. But not according to Joseph’s plan.

Joseph certainly did not plan for his life to work out that way. He had many other plans and ideas for his life. Same as you and me. He had his own dreams mapped out for the future, the girl of his dreams. The house of his dreams, in his dream town. No doubt he had dreams for his carpentry business. And as a prayerful and holy man no doubt he prayed that God would bless those dreams.

But then we read in Joseph’s story that he had actual dreams, that God kept speaking to him, sending angels with messages about his dream and how he wanted Joseph to drop his dreams, to make God’s bigger dream happen.

What would you do? I had a dream for my life when I was in the police. It was “stay in the police.” I loved it. I had wanted to be a policeman since I was about 14. When I found Jesus (or he found me), I wanted God to bless my dream. I even told him so, I remember praying that very specifically when I had been a Christian just a year or so in to my new life. But that same day I had an encounter with God where he spoke to me and said he had a different dream for my life.

He didn’t tell me everything and it didn’t all happen at once or on my timetable. But I had a choice. I would have to lose my little dream, to get God’s big dream. I am so glad I did that. Great swap. Best swap ever!

You see we fear and back away because we think we might be losing something, as if God wants to take something from us rather than that he has something for us. Yes, we may feel like we are losing something, but that’s like someone complaining that the winning lottery ticket cost them a quid.

I had my own dreams in ministry too. For many years living in the South, being back here in Manchester was not one of them at all, but then I had a dream where an angel came and told me this was it, but we would have to leave Surrey and friends and move back up. That wasn’t easy on a family after eight years with people you love. But again, we had to trust that God had a bigger and better dream than the one I could plan for. I had to let go of my own, to walk in his.

Joseph had to do that didn’t he? Matthew tells us what happened and remember this is not just a nativity story for the kids, it’s history. These are not plastic nativity characters in a set, they are real people making tough decisions in the middle of storms of doubt and uncertainty and chaos all around them having to learn what it is to trust God.

(Read Matt. 1:18-25)

Joseph’s Dreams

So there’s the choice, in the dream. Notice that “an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream….” Not even like fully for real in person like he did for Mary. This was a dream.

Remember Joseph has a dream already for his life to marry Mary. She is the girl of his dreams. The one he is solemnly pledged to marry. The one he has kept himself pure for. Stay in Galilee. Make babies and household furniture. That’s the dream.

Now it seems to be a nightmare because it looks like something terrible has happened, from how he sees it. It looks like the worst thing in the world is happening. From where he is looking. With his understanding. An earthly perspective.

That’s all we get isn’t it? If we make decisions or make plans according to our own understanding. We end up not understanding, or with m isunderstandings.

But was it the worst thing that ever happened? Not at all! He had to get heaven’s perspective. Wasn’t this the best thing that had ever happened in the whole history of the world since it got started. Joseph is invited into God’s way bigger, way better dream.

But Joseph doesn’t see that does he? He sees questions, “What will people say?” “How will we survive?” “What will my Mum and Dad think?” “Do I really have to get a donkey or is that not in the Bible?”

All these questions, hardly any answers. Just a dream. God’s dream, versus your dream.

Will you trust God and lose your own dream, so his bigger dream can come true for your life?

Will you say yes to God’s dream? Whatever it costs? Not knowing all the answers?

God’s Plan

How can I do that? What is he told? “Joseph, son of David ….” This is personal.

God knows exactly who you are. Just before this event the whole of Joseph’s ancestry is laid out and you might think Why does that matter if he’s not the father according to the flesh anyway? Well it matters that he’s the son of David because the prophecies written centuries before say clearly the Messiah must be born in the town of David. Joseph is the passport to the place for that prophecy to be fulfilled.

God’s dream for you and me is not random or chance either. He takes everything in your history and your present circumstances into account while designing a destiny for your future.

The angel goes on to say, “do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife.” Do not be afraid. God’s plan is perfect.

God has got this. It’s not all spinning out of control. You don’t have to be afraid of God’s dream, the best thing you can do with your life is exactly what he tells you, whatever anyone else may say or think about it. His plan is personal to you and it’s perfect.

Ecclesiastes says he makes all thing perfect in his time, so don’t ever be afraid to do what he says. Be afraid not to. Be afraid that fear would stop you missing it. Missing out what God wants to do through you.

“… because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.” Notice, the work is in progress. It’s already underway! God has already got the plan underway. The holy bun is in the holy oven! God’s plan didn’t start with you, but he wants us to get onboard.

God’s plan is personal to you, it’s going to be perfect in his timing so don’t be afraid, and it’s already in progress. God is working his purposes out right now according to his own counsel and calendar in the nations. God’s Spirit is working, here in Manchester, in this supernatural community called Ivy church, and he will do what he says he will do, with or without you and me. But he wants it to be with us. Because he is, after all, “God with us.”

All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).

God’s plan is personal. He knows your name. He is calling you specifically.

God’s plan is perfect. He has got it all worked out, even though we may not yet be able to figure it all out.

God’s plan is progressing. According to his promises.

No matter what the news or anyone else says. He is Sovereign. Nothing is going to stop his dream, to save the world through the Son he sent to save his people from their sins. Even today, more people than ever around the world said yes to Jesus than on any other day in history.

God’s plan comes with his presence. That’s perhaps the greatest blessing of all. Christmas tells us he doesn’t just want to drop down some directions so you can go off and figure out how you can fulfil your own dreams better.

Christ came down from his Father in heaven, to be known on Earth as Jesus the son of Joseph, so we would always have God with us, every step of the way, every up and every down. Every mountain and valley. Not just at Christmas but forever into eternity. God with us.

Conclusion

Isn’t it amazing that God would choose someone so ordinary, to do something so amazing, of such cosmic importance, that he would involve them so deeply in his plans and entrust the presence of his Son to them? I’m not really talking about Joseph now am I? I’m talking about us, and what he wants to do through us this Christmas so more people can come to know his love too.

God is at work in my life and in yours and in Joseph’s and in the lives of friends and family and people you know and love too and the best presents you can share with them is his presence. The presence of God in their lives.

How can anyone know his presence? How can we fulfil his plans and purpose? Like Joseph, just like Joseph. We have to believe God’s word even if we don’t understand it all. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not rely on your own understanding.’

Maybe you feel frightened of the future, what did the angel say? “Do not be afraid ….” Give up your own small dreams, tell the Lord today, he is present right there with you as we pray now:

Lord I lay down my own life, the wrong decisions I have made, my own sinful rebellious pride, I lay down the self-centred small dreams for my own comfortable plans, please show me your dream for how you can use me in this world, for the glory of Jesus your Son who came to save me, at such great cost, so whatever it may seem to cost me, I know it will be to my gain in the end, I willingly give up my own dreams to play whatever part you want me to serve in yours, and thank you that you really are with me as I work this out and walk this out one step at a time.

Anthony Delaney is a Leader at Ivy Church in Manchester. He is also the leader for New Thing and the LAUNCH conference. He is an author and hosts the television show “Transforming Life.”