Reality is far more familiar with disruption than with predictability. Life rarely unfolds according to plan. Things don’t go the way we expected, and the vocabulary of our time—unprecedented, pivot, reset, flexible—has become commonplace. Still, those words don’t always feel like comfortable descriptions of real life.

Yet the most hopeful response we can have is not to resist disruption, but to be prepared for it—not with a contingency plan, but with a spiritual plan. A way of living that allows interruptions to become opportunities: to grow a faith that cannot be shaken, a living faith that shapes our lives and influences the lives we touch.

The best place to turn for wisdom and clarity is Scripture. While everything around us is subject to constant change, God’s Word remains the same forever. It still shows us the way, the truth, and the light.

The Greatest Interruption

Let’s return to the greatest disruption in human history—the coming of Jesus Christ.

You know the story well, but this is not a pageant or a polished nativity scene. It isn’t background music meant to set a seasonal mood. This is real life. Ordinary people. A threatening, dark world. Individuals faithfully doing the planned and predictable things—until unexpected, uninvited changes interrupted everything and altered the course of history forever.

The Christmas story reminds us of a powerful truth: our personal response to God’s interruptions carries eternal significance.

Let’s talk about the first ones impacted—Mary and Joseph.

Mary

Mary was a young Jewish girl, betrothed to Joseph, with marriage and a future already taking shape in her mind. Like so many of us, she had plans—good plans. And then God interrupted them.

“The angel went to her and said, ‘Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.’” Luke 1:28 (NIV)

When something shifts suddenly—when change arrives without warning and you don’t yet understand what it means—Mary’s story reminds us of what God speaks into moments like these:

Rejoice — God is at work, even when the news is unsettling.
Favor — His loyal love is directed toward you.
Fear not — You are not alone in this disruption.
Receive — What feels overwhelming may actually be a blessing.

Mary’s response was honest and human.

“‘How will this be,’ Mary asked the angel, ‘since I am a virgin?’” Luke 1:34 (NIV)

This wasn’t doubt—it was a sincere question in the face of an incomprehensible interruption. God’s answer was unprecedented:

“The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.” Luke 1:35 (NIV)

In other words, you won’t carry this alone.

At the heart of every personal, life-altering disruption is this promise—spoken first to Mary, but given to us as well.

“For no word from God will ever fail.” Luke 1:37 (NIV)

Mary didn’t receive a detailed explanation. She wasn’t given a timeline, an outcome, or reassurance that the road ahead would be easy. She was given a word—and she trusted the One who spoke it.

“‘I am the Lord’s servant,’ Mary answered. ‘May your word to me be fulfilled.’ Then the angel left her.” Luke 1:38 (NIV)

This was a surrender. Yielded faith. Obedience without knowing how the story would unfold.

Mary was not deity—but she was faithful. And her faith changed the world.

Her strength came not from position or power, but from a heart that was meek, humble, teachable, trusting, and surrendered. These are the very qualities God still looks for—and still uses—to bring His purposes to life.

Joseph: Obedience Without All the Answers

Joseph’s interruption came differently—but no less painfully.

Engaged to Mary, Joseph was described as a just and righteous man—faithful to God’s law and marked by integrity. When faced with circumstances he could not explain, his first instinct was mercy.

“Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.” Matthew 1:19 (NIV)

As he considered these things, God spoke.

“But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.” Matthew 1:20 (NIV)

God still speaks to those who are faithful to His Word. Joseph recognized the truth because he knew the truth.

“The Lord makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him; Psalm 37:23 (NIV)

What Joseph never anticipated did not catch God by surprise.

“When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife.” Matthew 1:24 (NIV)

No explanation beyond the next step. No vision of the end game. Just obedience.

Faithfulness often looks like this: trusting God with today and believing He will reveal tomorrow in His time.

The Disruptor Who Still Comes

More than 2,000 years later, Jesus still interrupts lives.

He disrupts our plans. He unsettles our carefully managed control. He calls us out of darkness and into His marvelous light.

He is Emmanuel—God with us.

He delivers captive hearts from shame, guilt, sorrow, and despair. He fills lives with hope, joy, and purpose. He orders our steps and leads us forward—even when the path feels uncertain.

Because He lives, we can truly live—no matter how unpredictable life becomes.

Jesus is here.

He is the Savior. He is Christ the Lord. And He invites us, once again, to come and worship Him as King.

Disruptions and Interruptions