Isaiah 7:10-14 / Romans 1:1-7 / Matthew 1:18-25
We would think that life would be easy and stress-free if everything goes according to our plans.
We have our plans in life, we have our ideas about how life would be, and if life goes according to our plans and our ideas, then we would be happy.
So, some will get down to writing out their plans in life. They would study diligently and go to a good school and then to a good university. Then they would find a good job and get promoted and earn big money. Then they would get married and start a family. And when everything is in place, they would retire and live happily.
Call it a plan, or call it a dream, that may be our idea of life and how we would like our future to be.
But just as a river winds its way from the mountain to the ocean, life is never a straight path that goes according to our ideas.
Life is a winding journey with unexpected surprises. It is like a TV drama with all its twists and turns.
And because life is not a straight smooth path, we often get angry, disappointed and frustrated, when things don't turn out according to our plans and ideas.
In fact, one of our common complaints when things don't go our way is that we get angry with God.
Yes, we get angry with God when there are sudden turns and changes in life, and we get angry with God when our prayers to make it straight again are not answered.
The gospel account is about how Jesus Christ came to be born. But at the end of the account, we should be amazed and astonished about how things turned out.
Mary was betrothed to Joseph, and they had expected to get married and live happily to ripe old age.
Then Mary was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit, and Joseph was bewildered by it.
So, he decided to call off the marriage informally, but then he had a strange dream in which an angel spoke to him.
We can try to imagine how Joseph felt about all this, but in the end, when he woke up, he did what the angel told him and he took Mary to his home.
If this had happened to us, just how would we have reacted?
All of a sudden, our plans are changed, our ideas of a rosy future melted away, our hope for a pleasant outcome in life had crumbled.
Certainly, we would be angry, to say the least, besides being disappointed and frustrated.
Anger is a common emotion and a reaction, when things don't go our way, or when there are unexpected changes.
And we vent out that anger at people and at God.
But we need to realize that anger is such a dangerous emotion because it burns up our insides, and it is also the cause of our pains and illnesses.
And when we vent out that anger, we burn others and we also burn up our faith in God.
But the gospel passage teaches us that as it describes how Jesus Christ came to be born, there was so many changes and unexpected surprises in the lives of Mary and Joseph.
But through the responses of Mary and Joseph, Jesus Christ came into this world.
Let us know that when there are unexpected changes and surprises, it is an Emmanuel moment.
When we are getting angry, Jesus is also telling us that God is with us, and something beautiful and wonderful is going to happen.
May we not let our anger cause destruction to others and to ourselves.
Rather, in the midst of changes and surprises, let us be ready for a revelation, so that it will be an Emmanuel moment for us and for others.