Joseph must have gone to bed that night with a lot on his mind. His betrothed, Mary, is pregnant. He knows he has not contributed to this pregnancy. Out of goodness, he is concerned that Mary not be humiliated. He will “put her away quietly,” so the scripture says. But this is not the end of the story.

Joseph dreams. In his dream an angel comes with news for this good man. Joseph’s angel tells him not to be afraid. Joseph learns that he will be father to the One who is the fulfillment of the Davidic promise of his lineage.

Angels are extraordinary messengers, and dreams are amazing means of communication. Joseph is receptive to the message and the means of God’s communication to him. He trusts what God asks him to do. He awakens to his call and his destiny as Mary’s husband and designated parent of Jesus. He immediately becomes part of God’s salvation story, that a child will be born who will be light and life, savior of the world.

What if Joseph had just rolled over, pulled the covers over his head, and slept away his calling? How different would the story of Jesus be? Is our sleep so deep, our awareness so dull, our listening so dim that we do not hear the messengers of God who come to us from all directions? Could our attention, our careful listening, and our trusting obedience change the story of God in our own time? Soon angels singing glory will fill the heavens. We will be called to come and see. Pay attention, you who sleep; do not discount the dream.