A Strange Way To Save The World

Fred Hammond's version of “A Strange Way To Save The World” retells the nativity through the eyes of Joseph. The first verse imagines how surprised he must have been at where the road had taken him, since he never would have dreamed of Bethlehem. Standing at the manger, he sees the angel's message come to life.

The chorus is Joseph's string of questions. “Why me? I'm just a simple man of trade. Why Him, with all the rulers of the world? Why here, inside this stable filled with hay? Why her, she's just an ordinary girl?” He adds that he is not one to second-guess what angels say, but it's such a strange way to save the world. The second verse considers how it could have gone: if Jesus had come as he deserved, there would have been no Bethlehem and no lowly shepherds at his birth. Joseph understood the reason, which was that love had to reach so far. Holding the Savior in his arms, he must have thought it all over again. The ending adds a gospel-style vamp of thanks for the gift, with the choir praising God on Christmas day. The song gives a fresh angle on a familiar scene by choosing the quietest person in the story.

The angel's word to Joseph is Matthew 1:20-21. The manger scene is Luke 2:7, and God giving his Son is John 3:16.