“This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.
   But after he had considered 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 home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.’
   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’).
   When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife.” Matthew 1: 18-24

At Christmas, everybody likes to ask Mary, “did you know?” 
   It’s a beautifully innocent question because, from a mother’s perspective, we often wonder how our kids will turn out and who they will be in Christ’s kingdom. 
   We often forget, though, that it wasn’t just Mary who was chosen. Joseph was chosen by God to be the earthly, adoptive father to Jesus. Joseph had a lot to overcome with such a large ask. He had to trust that Mary was telling the truth. He had to go against societal expectations and marry his betrothed, even though she was pregnant. He had to accept Jesus as his own child while ignoring the whispers of the people around him. He had to raise Jesus to be a strong, God-fearing man, despite Jesus being God incarnate. 
   Joseph had to hold his head high, maintain his pride, and trust that the angel of the Lord was right. While it’s hard for me to imagine the pressures of being the mother of the Savior of the world, Joseph’s cultural position in all of this is also unfathomable. 
   My personal favorite Christmas song tells this story. Originally written by Skip Ewing, “It Wasn’t His Child” has been recorded nearly 20 times (Trisha Yearwood’s is the obvious best). The song describes Joseph’s commitment to the mission for which he was chosen.
   This season, and always, may we all realize that we are chosen, each for our own purpose. May we see God’s choosing us as an honor that He believes in us and trusts that we will do as He requests, treating each task as if it is just as important as raising the Son of God. 

“He was her man, she was his wife
And late one winter night
He knelt by her as she gave birth
But it wasn't his child
It wasn't his child

Yet still he took him as his own
And as he watched him grow
It brought him joy, he loved that boy
But it wasn't his child
It wasn't his child

But like a father he was strong and kind and good
And I believe he did his best
It wasn't easy for him but he did all could
His son was different from the rest
It wasn't his child
It wasn’t his child

And when the boy became a man
He took his father's hand
And soon the world would all know why
It wasn't his child
It wasn't his child

And like his father he was strong and kind and good
And I believe he did his best
It wasn't easy for him, but he did all could
He grew up with his hands in wood
And he died with his hands in wood
He was God's child
He was God’s child

He was her man, she was his wife
And late one winter night
He knelt by her as she gave birth
But it wasn't his child
It was God's child” 

Skip Ewing, “It Wasn’t His Child”