The Healthy Church Staff Podcast
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The Healthy Church Staff Podcast
You Might Be More Like Joseph Than You Think
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Hey there, welcome back to the Health Reach Church Staff Podcast. If you're new in here, welcome for the first time. My name is Todd Rhodes, one of the two funders of Chemistry Staffing, and we started yesterday a new Christmas series. So today is day two. The Christmas series is called Unwrapped, and we're taking a look at some of the unexpected things that don't normally make the stage on Sundays at your church about the Christmas season. And today's episode is for the behind the scenes leader, the one who carries weight, keeps things together, and rarely gets the credit. So today we're going to talk, you got it, about Joseph. If you grew up with a nativity set, Joseph was probably the plastic guy off to the side, right? He wasn't glowing like Mary. He wasn't shiny like the angels. He wasn't even holding any gifts like the wise man, Joseph. Joseph was just standing there, silent and supportive and forgettable. But the more I've looked at the Christmas story, the more I'm convinced that Joseph, Joseph is the unsung hero of Advent. And you, church staff leader, might just be walking in his shoes. Now here's what we do know about Joseph. We don't know a lot, but here's what we do know. Joseph, Scripture tells us, was a righteous man. He was obedient and he was faithful and he was humble. And when he found out that Mary was pregnant, he didn't blow up her life. He planned to quietly end things until God interrupted. Then God used him in a wild gave him a wildly confusing dream. And you know what? Joseph believed it. And he went on and he married Mary anyway. And he took her on a dangerous trip. And he helped her deliver her baby in a barn. And he protected them from Herod's rage. And then he moved his family to Egypt to keep them safe. Joseph kept going when things didn't make sense. He obeyed God again and again without fanfare. And then guess what? Faithful Joseph, the Joseph that had done all of that. Joseph that was faithful and obedient. Guess what? Guess what happens to Joseph in scripture? He's God. Poof. What happened to Joseph? Where did Joseph go? He totally disappears from the story. Honestly, we don't know. There are no songs, there's no speeches, no spotlight. But his presence when he was there was everything. So how does that relate to you or to me as a church staff member? This is where it really hits home. So many of you listening right now are Joseph's. You're not the one up on stage preaching on Sunday. Your name isn't on the marquee. You're not the center stage during the Christmas Eve services. But you make things, make sure that things work. And you fix what breaks and you carry the emotional weight and you hold the staff tension and you keep things aligned. And quite frankly, you obey when nobody's watching. You get up early and you stay late and you say yes, even when you don't have to, and you protect the people of that God has entrusted to you. And yeah, you lead from the shadows and you lead without all the applause. And most people won't ever know what you held together. But here's the truth: God does, God knows. And Christmas would have fallen apart without Joseph. Just like ministry would fall apart without you. I'm going to land you with a truth bomb today, okay? Being unseen doesn't mean that you're unimportant. Sometimes we equate those two, but they're not the same thing. Some of God's most trusted servants do their best work in silence. I'll be real, I've had seasons during my ministry career where I felt invisible. I showed up, I worked hard, I said yes. When I wanted to say I quit, and I felt like nobody noticed, I didn't quit. But here's what I'm learning from Joseph. Our God doesn't forget the quiet obedience. And the stuff that you think doesn't matter, guess what? It matters. It matters, you matter. Every faithful yes, every quiet decision to protect and to support and to serve, Joseph didn't make the headlines, and you don't need to either. But Joseph did help raise a savior. So here's your challenge and your reflection questions for today. Where have you been carrying weight that others might not see? And then, secondly, how can you reframe that role as sacred, not secondary? I'd love you to write down maybe one hidden obedience in your life or ministry, one area of hidden obedience in your life or your ministry, and then take the time today to thank God for the strength to carry it out, even without the glamour, even without the prominence, and ask God, ask him for continued faithfulness on your part. God, we thank you for the hidden roles, the roles that nobody sees, the things in ministry that happen that actually sustain the ministry. Thanks for trusting us in all of those unseen things. And when we feel visible, help us to remember that you see all of it. Help us to lead like Joseph with that quiet courage and that deep faith and that unshakable obedience. Amen. Thanks for listening today. We're going to continue our series again tomorrow. And if you would like to reach out to me for anything, I'm the co-founder of Chemistry Staffing. So anything staffing related for your church for 2026, if there's any kind of just correspondence you'd like to send me, you can do that anytime. Just send it to podcast at chemistrystaffing.com. All right, thanks. I hope this is helpful to you, and Merry Christmas to you and your family and your church. I am praying for you. I'm with you. I'm for you.
