A Forgotten Figure in a Manger Scene

   I was reading in Matthew 2 this morning and ran across this phrase:

 "an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, "

   That got me to thinking about a man, one who was critical to the Christmas Story, but did not gather much press after that one event in time…Joseph, the husband of Mary, the leader of that family unit that included the Savior, Jesus Christ.

   Here is a man, a strong man, a compassionate man, a listening man, a man God spoke to through his angel, not once but several times over those years.

   As I think about his life, what little we know of it, I am struck by what he brought to the story. The life of Jesus was in his hands, and he responded.

   He is maybe forgotten for the most part, but with his concern for Mary, for the child, and the importance of his obedience to the voice of God through the angel, he looms large in the story.

   In the manger scene we used at Christmas, I can't even find him, but I know he is there, and I will try to put him in the proper perspective next year.

   I'm glad his name jumped out at me from those few verses. He is a role model for all us fathers.