Have you ever considered how our Christian faith is centered around what seemed like an unplanned pregnancy from Mary and Joseph’s perspective?
I call it the Nativity Narrative – the story of Christ’s birth that we love to hear every Christmas season. The shepherds, the crowded inn, the manger, the Three Kings… That imagery always helps me get in the Christmas spirit.
But, as I’ve reflected on Care Net’s work over the last several years, this story has taken on an even deeper meaning for me. Indeed, the story of Christ’s birth is a big part of what it means for Care Net to be a Pro Abundant Life ministry.
You see, when God told Mary that she was to give birth to the Christ child, she bravely chose life when she said, “May it be done to me according to your Word.”
But the story didn’t stop there. God then sent the same angel to Joseph, who also chose life… and ABUNDANT life for this family by becoming a husband to Mary and a father to the child growing inside her womb.
As a father who once faced an unplanned pregnancy, I can certainly relate to what Joseph must have been feeling when that angel visited him with some pretty surprising news. While in college, I got my then-girlfriend (now wife of more than 4 decades) pregnant. We had a choice to make. By the grace of God, we chose life for our baby and abundant life for our family by choosing to get married and follow God.
We hope and pray that women and men will choose life for the same reason that Mary and Joseph (and my wife and I for that matter) chose life – to become disciples of Jesus Christ and to make disciples for Him. The life issue is not a “side issue” in our faith – it is at its very heart.
I hope this makes your celebration of the coming of Jesus this Christmas even more meaningful.
You can explore this more in my new book, The Alternative to Abortion: Why We Must be Pro Abundant Life, which is available at rolandwarren.com.
Have a blessed Christmas!