Thinking about Joseph

As I celebrate Christmas this year in the midst of waiting for our referral, I can't help but think about Joseph. He adopted Jesus. The bible calls Joseph his father (Luke 2:33), which means Joseph got to hear the King of kings call him "abba" or "daddy." He had the responsibility of being the spiritual leader to Jesus. Talk about pressure. However, did you ever stop to consider that God picked Joseph to be "daddy" to His Son?

Consider the circumstances. Mary, who had been promised in marriage to Joseph, comes to him and confides that she is pregnant. Joseph's heart had to sink. No doubt Mary explained to Joseph what the angel had told her about the Spirit conceiving the child in her womb, but all natural evidence pointed to the fact that the young woman he was supposed to spend the rest of his life with had committed adultery. Imagine what he felt at that moment; embarrassment, anger, a broken heart, confusion, disbelief. What was he supposed to believe? Joseph's first reaction was to divorce her quietly so that Mary would not be publicly shamed. He had the right to. The law permitted it (Deuteronomy 24:1). Yet Joseph did not make a hasty decision but rather he paused to consider the situation (Matthew 1:20). I've often wondered if he followed the words of Solomon and sought godly counsel (Proverbs 15:22). Who would he have talked to and what would they have advised him to do? But it doesn't matter in the end because God intervened and spoke to Joseph in a dream (Mt. 1:20-25).

Joseph took Mary as his wife and he loved Jesus as his son. He was there the night Jesus was born and he heard the shepherds' story of what the angel said to them in the field. Their account had to bring back memories of his dream. Joseph stood in the temple to present baby Jesus before God as was instructed by the Law of Moses. He was Jesus' protector as any father should be to his children (Matthew 2:13-23). Jesus was submissive to Joseph (Luke 2:51), and Joseph felt the horror of losing Jesus and searching for him frantically (Luke 2:41-52). Can you imagine what he must have felt when Jesus went missing? Misplacing the child God has entrusted to you and who he has told you is going to save the people from their sin is no small matter. After that incident, Joseph fades from Scripture. We know nothing about what happened to him after that, except that others recognized Jesus as "the son of Joseph" (John 6:42). While Joseph and Mary had biological children, Joseph accepted Jesus as his first (Luke 2:23) and loved him as his own.

As I write this on Christmas Eve in my living room, it is Christmas morning in Ethiopia. I wonder which child God has picked for me to be a daddy to this time. I wonder what that child is doing and does he or she even know what we are celebrating today. I wonder how much longer it will be before we get to meet each other. I wonder how God is going to orchestrate the circumstances of this adoption and what divine appointments await us. I wonder what God is wanting to do in the life of all my children to impact the world for His glory, and I pray for the grace to be as humble as Joseph, to raise them faithfully unto the Lord, and to be understanding as they pursue God's will for their lives. After all, they belong to Him and he picked me to be their daddy regardless of if he blessed me with them by birth or by adoption. Finally, I pray that God will give me the wisdom that Joseph had in raising Jesus and that he will grant me the humility to raise my children according to His Word no matter what the world says about us. May God bless you and your family as you celebrate the birth of Jesus.

Depraved Indifference

 This is one powerful video.

Painting a Picture of God's Family

Sitting in the new worship center at NEHBC this past week I could not help but notice the different ways in which we worship. Some sing aloud while others prefer to read the lyrics and focus on their meaning. Some are animated, clapping or raising hands and tapping feet, while others are docile, often closing their eyes and becoming more internal. During the sermon it is the same. We have those who sit quietly and listen, and we have those who prefer to interact with proclamations of “Amen!” or “Praise God!” After noticing these differing approaches, I began to think about the diversity of our church family. Pastor Nathan has often pointed out that NEHBC has people from all walks of life, different countries, numerous seasons of life, and many backgrounds and cultures. Yet, we all join together to lift up the name of Jesus and glorify Him as Savior and King before the world. I love it!

This is just another reason I am excited about our call to adopt a child from another country, race, and background. The Wheeless family is being given an opportunity to paint a picture of God’s family for the world to see, and we are getting to do it in two ways. First, through the adoption itself, and second through the diversity that will be part of our family.

Paul uses the illustration of adoption to describe our relationship with God in Romans 8:15-17. As believers, we have been set free from sin, have been adopted by the Creator of the universe, have the privilege of calling him Father, and will receive an inheritance with Christ in heaven. The deep concept of adoption here must not be missed. When Paul wrote this his readers would have understood it clearly. The one who was adopted took on the name, customs, and heritage of his adopting father. Wherever the child went from that day forward he was recognized as a member of his father’s family and was expected to represent that family in all he did. It is the same with us. Believers are God’s children, bearing His name, taking on His righteousness, and conducting His business before the world. Our child will take our name, learn our traditions, embrace our background as his own, and he will be known as one of us. We will certainly teach him or her about their place of birth and hopefully will be able to take them back there once they get older, but his identity will not be wrapped up in his past. Instead, it will be defined by his entrance into our family as he is loved and embraced as one of us regardless of his past. This is why adoption is such a beautiful picture of the gospel. We too have been taken from a hopeless past and given a glorious future with our Father and his family for eternity.

The diversity within our family is also another opportunity for us paint a picture of God’s family. The adoption doesn’t make the Wheeless family diverse because we are already diverse. Gender, different likes and dislikes, passions and interests, and individual callings from God make our family, and your family, diverse. Adopting a child from another country simply adds to our diversity. When you consider what heaven is going to be like, this makes the diversity in our families and churches a powerful picture of the family of God. John tells us that in heaven there is a countless multitude of believers from all tribes, peoples, nations, and languages standing before the throne of God singing praises to him (Revelation 7:9-10). All of us get to be a picture of heaven here on earth when we worship with our families and when we gather with the church. The Wheeless family has been blessed with the privilege of embracing a child of another race and nationality as one of us. What a huge responsibility and joy to be a picture of heaven on earth! 

The family of God is diverse and open to anyone who will believe in Jesus. God’s family is exclusive in that way only; faith in Christ for the forgiveness of sin is required to become a child of God. Race, nationality, and language, these do not prohibit entrance into the family. If we are going to be children of God we must take on the character of our Father and embrace diversity. Remember, we represent Him to a lost world that needs to know his love and forgiveness. What picture of our Father’s family are you painting for the world to see?

Our December newsletter is available. If you would like to receive a copy and learn inside details of our adoption and how you can pray for us, email me and I will send you a copy: twheeless@nehbc.com 

NEHBC Grand Opening

Humble Area News is running a story about our grand opening this Sunday. READ ABOUT HERE.