Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly. But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet: “Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel,” which means, “God is with us.” When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife, but had no marital relations with her until she had borne a son; and he named him Jesus.
Matthew 1:18-25 (NRS)
When my wife Bobbie and I accepted the pastoral appointment to our home church in 2003, at the age of 52, we considered several things. Throughout our ministry, spanning thirty odd years, many discussions were about where we wanted to retire when the time came. We always reviewed the pros and cons of every city we had lived in but always in the back of my mind, I knew that Etowah County, Alabama was the place. It firmly held the roots of our family. Both Bobbie’s family and mine lived there. Both of us were born there. We were born again there. We married there. Our children were born there. We had buried parents and grandparents there. Lifelong friends still lived there. Yes, the roots rain deep. In all honesty, however, we were resolved that we wouldn’t return until retirement.
God had other plans for us. He sent us to pastor our home church, two blocks from where I grew up. Understanding that “a prophet is without honor only in his hometown,” even after thirty years of pastoral experience I was not ready to expose Bobbie to any public humiliation, which my past might produce. But, I surrendered to the Lord’s will and adapted my resolution.
Recognizing that this pastoral appointment was of the Holy Spirit, and considering our age, we resolved to pastor this church until retirement. Then, having so resolved, the Holy Spirit informed us that his purpose in sending us there had been achieved and there was another group of people to whom he wanted us to minister. So, once again we surrendered to his will and adapted our resolution.
Please note from Joseph’s experience above that the will of the Holy Spirit was that Joseph would be instrumental in the Lord’s work of saving “his people from their sins.” One of the elements of submission that must never be ignored is that we are instruments in His hands for saving his people from their sins. We do not always see the immediate results we would prefer. We do not always see transformation of people’s lives. But let us not forget that, like Joseph and Mary, we have God’s promise that Emmanuel is with us.
So, like Joseph, we adapt our resolutions accordingly and obey.
Dear Father, thank you for your grace and mercy. Thank you for this insight into your word. Forgive us for being too rigid to adapt to your will. Empower us with a resolution of flexibility and adaptability. Enable us as instruments of your saving power. Grant to us the comfort and peace that comes from both. This I pray in Jesus’ name. AMEN
Let us praise God for his plan and surrender to his purpose,
Pastor Smith