Every year in our culture and in our homes, the season of Christmas kindles a warm-hearted expectation of family together. For some, this expectation finds sweet fulfillment in the travels and traditions of December. Others find that the expectation of togetherness only sharpens a sense of loneliness or loss.
Behind these met and unmet expectations, however, is the truth that Christmas marks the definitive moment of “God with us” (Matt. 1:23). But until Joseph could see the work of God’s Spirit, “God with us” nearly meant the tearing apart of a family before it even had the chance to begin.
And so, from the beginning, the arrival of the Christmas season has blended dilemma and doxology, crisis and Christ. What, then, is the key? Knowing where to look.