I Didn’t Expect Him to be Faithful

When things are difficult, there is a temptation to abandon ship. In a year of isolation, we look to Christmas for the reminder of God’s presence in our midst. Even more, God calls on us to be faithful to God and to each other, companions on our shared spiritual journey. This week, we learn from the Gospel of Matthew about faithfulness as we read about how Joseph chose to remain faithful in the face of unexpected news.

This is our fourth week in our series, An Unexpected Christmas. Advent is a season of anticipation for the light that emerges in the darkness. We anticipate hope in the midst of despair. We anticipate faith in the mist of wandering. We anticipate love in the midst of hate. While we anticipate God’s transformative work, we acknowledge that God’s ways are often difficult to predict even when we’re anticipating them. As we read the biblical story of the events leading up to the birth of Jesus, we read of people’s responses to God’s unexpected ways. This Advent, facing a year full of dashed expectations, let us continue the tradition of hopeful anticipation.

Sermon preached by Pastor Dallas Flippin on Sunday, December 20, 2020.

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