envelop spinner search close plus arrow-right arrow-left facebook twitter

Christmas at the Movies: Week 3, Day 7

by David Joynt on December 23, 2017


Matthew 1:16 | MATTHEW 2:13-15

 

Joseph took a faith risk and married Mary. He could have played
it safe and protected his reputation in Nazareth. He could have
forgotten the angel's suggestion and pursued his own plan. But
consider for a moment what he would have missed. He would not
have been part of the Christmas adventure, he would never have
heard the shepherds' story of the angel chorus, he would never
have met the wise men, he would never have made an emergency
trip to Egypt. He would never become St. Joseph. He would
have missed his life mission. He would have given up the
opportunity to play a vital role in God's story of salvation and the
life of the Savior. Instead, he opened his heart—God can do a
lot with open hearts.

 

 

What faith risk have you taken in the last year?

 

 

What has come about because of it?

 

Tags: faith, risk

About the Author
David Joynt

Dave Joynt began his service as a pastor at Valley Presbyterian Church in Paradise Valley, Arizona in September 2014. This meant a move away from the Northeast, where he has a long history, growing up in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania and then serving congregations in Delaware and New Jersey for a total of 23 years.

Dave was nurtured in a great church in Bethlehem where his parents, Anne and Carey, served as elders. He graduated in classics from Lehigh University where his Father taught, and then from Oxford, where he met his wife Julia. Ordained in 1988, he completed a Ph.D. from Princeton Theological Seminary in 1993.

He and Julia have a son, Tristan, and a daughter, Madeleine.

More from Pastor Joynts Devotionals

return to Pastor Joynts Devotionals