The 4th Sunday of Advent

As Advent winds its way ever-closer to Christmas, our scripture readings bring us to one of the familiar accounts of the anticipation of Jesus' birth. This year, it's the account the gospel of Matthew tells, wherein the character of Joseph plays a starring role. As Joseph would learn, sometimes when we are busy preparing for the thing we expect, we are suddenly asked to prepare for something different... and in all of it, when God is at work entering the world, we ought to prepare to be amazed.