This is such a strange way . . .

One of my favorite Christian songs about Christmas (it's not a carol, more a character piece) is the following:

I'm sure he must have been surprised
At where this road had taken him
Cause never in a million lives
Would he have dreamed of Bethlehem

And standing at the manger
He saw with his own eyes
The message from the angel come to life

And Joseph said

Why me, I'm just a simple man of trade
Why Him with all the rulers in the world
Why here inside this stable filled with hay
Why her, she's just an ordinary girl
Now I'm not one to second guess
What angels have to say
But this is such a strange way to save the World

To think of how it could have been
If Jesus had come as He deserved
There would have been no Bethlehem
No lowly shepherds at His birth

But Joseph knew the
Reason love had to reach so far
And as he held the Savior in his arms
He must have thought

Why me, I'm just a simple man of trade
Why Him with all the rulers in the world
Why here inside this stable filled with hay
Why her, she's just an ordinary girl
Now I'm not one to second guess
What angels have to say
But this is such a strange way to save the World

Now, I'm not one to second guess
What angels have to say
But this is such a strange
Way to save the world
Such a strange way, this is
Such a strange way
A strange way to save the world
A strange way to save the world

I am glad to see it's a 4Him song; I saw them perform in the '90s at a local fairground in 90-degree heat and they were such troupers that I've loved them since. 

Joseph was a man of intense faith and obedience. We can just look at him as a cypher in the Gospels, a man who just did what he was supposed to when told, but that shows our shallowness. He lived with gossip about his wife and child the rest of his life; he was a just man not willing to put his betrothed to shame; he obeyed the law of the Romans and angelic messengers and thus fulfilled all the prophesies.  His obedience resulted in the cross and our salvation as much if not more than Mary's. 

The humans who lived the Bible narratives have been subjects and objects of intense scrutiny for 2000 years. How many of us could endure that? I know I couldn't. Joseph gives me hope. 

I'm staying with some people who are very accomplished in many ways. They make me feel like a failure, even though by objective accounts I've done pretty well. How stupid and foolish of me! Comparing yourselves among yourselves, you become fools. When Joseph, the true hero of the Nativity narrative, made his steps, he thought of nothing but the immediate path of faith he was on, not his reputation or legacy. How far I am from that!

Truly a strange way to save the world.