Idea: December 13, 2009
Church sermon on Joseph and how he was obedient when God charged him with raising Jesus.
Start: December 17, 2009
Found lyrics, brainstormed what would go where.
End: December 25, 2009
Really just put it together on the 25th, in like ten minutes.
Sure he must have been surprised
At where this road had taken him
'Cause never in a million lives
Would he had dreamed of Bethlehem
It was crazy, this journey he was on.
He hadn't expected to marry a woman who was already pregnant!
He'd been determined to call off the wedding until that dream… That angel reassuring him that he was to help raise God's son was the turning point.
And standing at the manger
He saw with his own eyes
The message from the angel come to life
And Joseph said...
And then, looking at his wife and (for all intents and purposes) son, came the awe.
This little bundle of joy was someday going to save them all.
It was almost too much too handle, but somehow he understood.
(CHORUS)
Why Him, with all the rulers in the world?
Why here, inside this stable filled with hay?
Why her, she's just an ordinary girl?
Now I'm not one to second guess what angels have to say
But this is such a strange way to save the world
Joseph was only a carpenter, a simple, quiet man.
He hadn't wanted any of this, yet God had entrusted him with the task of caring for these two special people.
Jesus was only a baby, the son of a young woman and her carpenter husband. What was He going to do that was so special?
Why couldn't one of the men already crowned king be God's Chosen One?
And here he was, with a pregnant young wife and in the little town they called Bethlehem, in a stable.
A stable. Really? Couldn't they have found a better spot?
But no, all the inns were full—no room for the King of the Jews.
And really, why Mary?
Was it her heart, her love for her God?
Surely there was something special about his new wife that Joseph wasn't yet aware of.
After all, there was a reason they were in this together.
To think of how it could have been
IfJesus had come as He deserved
There would have been no Bethlehem
Eventually, he had the answer.
Eventually, he understood.
But Joseph knew the reason
Love had to reach so far
And as he held the Savior in his arms
He must have thought...
Had Jesus been born to a different couple, a couple higher up in society, and in a nicer place, there would be no way for simple folk like Joseph and Mary to feel comfortable approaching Him later in life.
If His mother had been anyone but Mary, she wouldn't feel as blessed to raise such a special little boy.
Had some king already on his throne been charged with the task of saving the Jews, he'd have been the king the Jews were expecting.
They needed a quiet, peaceful leader: one who had lived in Judea His whole life, who could understand their needs and teach things they didn't already know. Someone who had done no wrong, yet was executed willingly for their sins.
(CHORUS)
Why me, I'm just a simple man of trade
Why Him, with all the rulers in the world?
Why here inside this stable filled with hay?
Why her, she's just an ordinary girl?
Now I'm not one to second guess what angels have to say
But this is such a strange way to save the world
(CHORUS)
Now I'm not one to second guess what angels have to say
But this is such a strange way to save the world
...this is such a strange way to save the world...
That night, when he'd been told in the dream that he needed to trust God, marry Mary, and raise Jesus, he'd had his doubts. But it iwas/i an bangel/b telling him all of this, and he'd figured disobeying an angel would be a risky move.
So he'd done it.
And now, looking back, it made sense.
It wasn't such a strange way to save the world after all.
It isn't all that amazing, I don't think, but I wanted to post it for Christmas.
I don't know if I have the facts or character stuff right. I'd like to think I do. This is pretty much speculation.
Edit (12/28/09): So, I was reminded that this may not qualify as "fiction" since Christ's birth was in deed fact. Yeah, it was, but this is purely speculative. I don't know for sure that Joseph thought these things; thus, fiction. :)
With lyrics: 682
Without lyrics: 437
Merry Christmas!