2010 Advent Devotional
St. Stephen United Methodist Church
Monday, December 13
Matthew 1:18-25
18 This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. 19 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.

20 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. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins."

22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 "The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel" (which means "God with us").

24 When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. 25 But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.
This passage is about the birth of Jesus the Christ. God the Holy Spirit brings about the conception in Mary.

Mary had to face an enormous challenge to her faith and trust in God and to the faith of her family and Joseph. She was asked to assume a burden of tremendous responsibility. That required faith and trust in God.

Joseph did not wish to embarrass or punish Mary when he discovered that she was pregnant. It appeared she had broken their pledge to be faithful to one another. Joseph, no doubt took this troubling matter to God in prayer. Joseph believed in the divine message to take Mary as his wife and to accept the child in her womb as the promised Messiah. Like Mary, Joseph is a model of faith for us.

It is sometimes difficult to believe in the promises of God when faced with challenging circumstances. My hope is that we will all have strong faith like Mary and Joseph. In this time of advent, I am so thankful for my family - Susan, Sydney and Trey. I am proud to celebrate the Christmas season at St. Stephen United Methodist Church and with the Unity Sunday School Class.

It is truly a time to reflect and renew our faith in God and in his redeeming work.
George Johnson