As we prepare for the celebration of Christmas, we are also wishing that Christmas will be nice and pretty.
And in many ways, we also wish that life is nice and pretty.
But the fact is that life is not a bed of roses, because there are the thorns that come with the roses.
That is the harsh reality of life, and that is also the harsh reality that Mary and Joseph faced in the gospel.
To follow the plan of God and to do God’s will was certainly not a bed of roses for them.
Mary accepted the call to bear the Son of God and she immediately faced an uncertain and even dangerous future.
Joseph could not understand what happened, but he wanted to do an honourable deed by intending to divorce Mary informally.
So, it can be said that when the Son of God was to come into this world, it wasn’t a nice and pretty welcome.
But out of this messy situation, God’s will prevailed and His plan of salvation continued.
Yes, God wanted to be with us and loved us so much that He sent His only Son into this messy and broken world.
And because God wanted to be with us and to love us, let us entrust ourselves to God’s will and to carry out His plan in our lives.
And God will show us how He will make a way for us.