December 9

Poor Joseph. Advent arrives each year with angel choirs and candlelight, but Joseph’s story begins with awkward silence and confusion. He’s an honest, law-abiding man who just learned his fiancée is pregnant—and he knows he’s not the father. This is not the “Joy to the World” moment he had imagined. Yet even in heartbreak, Joseph shows grace. He chooses mercy over judgment, compassion over reputation. It’s a reminder that true righteousness is never cold or rigid—it’s always warmed by love. Joseph lives that truth before a single angel says, “Do not be afraid.”

John Wesley would call Joseph a man “going on to perfection”—not because he had it all figured out, but because he chose love when the rules gave him an excuse not to. In Advent, we’re invited to do the same. We prepare our hearts for Christ not by looking pious, but by practicing quiet kindness in the middle of life’s surprises. And if we can manage to do it without an angelic visitation to explain things, so much the better. Sometimes grace looks less like a miracle in the sky and more like a patient carpenter deciding to love anyway.

Prayer: Lord, in this Advent season, teach us to love quietly and faithfully, even when life doesn’t go according to plan.