After Joseph is visited by the Lord’s messenger in a dream, he discovers that Mary is participating in God’s saving work and obeys the messengers commandment to take Mary as his wife.  Joseph, the man who was originally a righteous law-follower, disobeys laws and religious custom so that he can participate in God’s desire to do something new.  Through Joseph we learn something important about faithfulness, obedience, and righteousness.  Joseph learns that God has the freedom to act in powerful and unpredictable ways.  In fact, God is not reluctant to do something entirely new and unexpected.  This means that sometimes, the activity of the spirit may require us to alter old perceptions of God’s will in order to be partners in God’s creative activity - to set-aside our human constructs of right and wrong when God intervenes.

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