Joseph’s Encounter with Jesus
As we continue our series, Encounters with Jesus, this week we turn our attention to one of the most quiet yet most courageous figures in the entire Christmas story—Joseph. While Mary often takes center stage, Joseph’s encounter with Jesus in Matthew 1–2 is a powerful reminder of what faithful obedience looks like when God steps into our lives.
Joseph’s journey began in confusion. His world was turned upside down when he learned that Mary was expecting a child who was not his. Yet in the midst of his uncertainty, God met him. Through a dream, the Lord revealed to Joseph that the child within Mary was conceived by the Holy Spirit, that His name would be Jesus, and that He would save His people from their sins. Joseph didn’t argue. He didn’t delay. He obeyed. That same obedience marked the rest of his life—leading Mary, protecting Jesus, fleeing to Egypt, and returning to Nazareth—all because he trusted the voice of God.
Joseph’s encounter with Jesus was not loud, dramatic, or public. It was quiet, costly, humble, and deeply transformative. And in many ways, his encounter mirrors ours.
Like Joseph, Jesus often enters our world unexpectedly—interrupting our plans, rearranging our priorities, and inviting us to trust Him more deeply. Like Joseph, we may not always understand what God is doing, but we are called to follow where He leads. And like Joseph, when we choose obedience over convenience, faith over fear, and trust over self-reliance, we discover that God is writing a much bigger story than we could ever imagine.
With great expectation this Christmas,
Pastor Patrick