Pastor Tyler Downing in Matthew 1:18-25 invites us to honor the Lord by faithfully embracing the specific life He’s ordained for us, using Joseph as an example of compassionate justice, obedient faith, and humble recognition of his own need for a Savior as he names the child “Jesus.” He ties Joseph’s story to our own deep longings, echoing C.S. Lewis’ insight that desires this world can’t satisfy point us to the reality that we were made for another world, and ultimately for Christ Himself.
