Scripture: Luke 1:26–35; Matthew 1:18–25

When God stepped into Mary and Joseph’s story, He did so through interruption—divine, disorienting, life-altering interruption. Mary was a young woman from the Anawim, the poor and humble of Israel whose lives were marked by hardship, dependence, and prayerful longing. Just as her life seemed finally to be turning toward stability and hope, an angel appeared with the words every Old Testament–soaked heart knew meant trouble: “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”

Joseph faced his own divine interruption. As a Tsadiq, a righteous man known for his uncompromising obedience to Torah, Joseph had everything to lose when Mary was found pregnant. His reputation, livelihood, and community standing hung in the balance. Yet in obedience—and at great personal cost—he took Mary as his wife and adopted Jesus as his son .

Both Mary and Joseph discovered a deep discipleship truth: God’s interruptions are not punishments—they are invitations. They disturb, reorder, and reshape us so that we may bear Christ into the world. Their “yes” was not a theoretical commitment but an embodied, sacrificial response to God’s purposes.

Discussion Questions

1. Where have you experienced unexpected upheaval that later revealed God’s hand at work? How did it shape you?

2. What “reputation costs” or social risks might obedience to Jesus require in your life right now? How does Joseph’s example challenge or inspire you?

3. Where do you sense God molding you into something new? What feelings arise in you as you consider this?

4. What currently feels like your primary “reason for living”? How might reframing your purpose help you respond to challenges with trust instead of fear?

5. What simple spiritual practice (silence, breath prayer, examen, Scripture meditation, Sabbath rest) could help you open your current interruption to God rather than avoid it?