The Fairytale Prince

As a little girl, I remember learning about the prospect of a prince. He would be dashing, strong, trustworthy and courageous. The stories told of dire circumstances where the only hope was for a prince to come charging in at the last minute for a life-saving rescue. If he didn’t come, there would be no hope. Evil would triumph.

Even at that young age, as much as I dreamed of a prince and the wonderful rescue he represented, I understood that he was just beyond reasonable probability. The fairytales were clear- rare was the girl who would actually find her prince and even better, be rescued from her worst fear.

These stories leave us feeling the overwhelming tension of waiting for a miracle because let’s face it, a prince coming to our rescue is more than unlikely, it is inconceivable. And yet, that is exactly what we see happen in Matthew 1:18-25 ESV. 

18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. 19 And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. 20 But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 

The Risk

The tension builds quickly in the story of Jesus’ birth. His unwed teenage mother finds herself in danger as much as any princess in the fairytales. Her pregnancy before her marriage meant certain peril in that culture. Even though it was from the Holy Spirit and the fulfillment of prophecy, it still placed her in grave danger. It was in fact, a death sentence.

But are we any different? As soon as we are born, we are just as much in need of a rescue- from our sin, from ourselves. Just as Mary felt the risk of her life on the line, so do we. It doesn’t take us long to feel the desperation from sin we cannot tame, from lives out of control.

Mary felt the impossibilities that confronted her and so do we. Each of us on the edge of our seat, looking for any hope of a rescue, a reprieve from our death sentence of sin and shame. The need so great, the options so few, the rescue so unlikely, the pressure mounts with hope against hope.

And then He comes……..

For the rest of this post follow the link to the wonderful Advent series that Dani is offering over at Living Free Indeed. Be sure to check out the other posts of her series for a great way to keep Christ central to your Christmas season!