Joseph Accepts Jesus as His Son
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.
As the story continues, we find Joseph responding to an angel who explains to him what is going on and why he should take Mary home as his wife..
Occasionally I will have someone mention a dream to me and wonder what the dream may or may not have meant. It's interesting to note that some people remember their dreams well and others do not. For Joseph, dreams are the essential venue through which the angel speaks to him (note 2:19 and 2:22 as well). My sense is that God knew how best to get through to Joseph.
Isn't it amazing how God knows us and how he works with us individually to get through to us? In Psalm 139:14 we find the familiar and inspiring words,
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful, I know that full well.
The Hebrew word translated here as fearfully can actually be rendered awesomely. We are awesomely made and each of us has a defined conduit to and from God within us.
You know me well enough already to know that I consistently invite you to pay attention to the ways God speaks to you. For each of us it is somewhat different. But you certainly understand the ways and the venues through which typically you personally find the nudge, the prodding, the counsel of God.
What is absolutely true is that God is ever seeking to speak to your heart and your mind. He is relentless in seeking to bring to us what He wants us to know and hear and what we need to know and to hear! So, be especially attentive these remaining days of Advent; God surely is seeking to speak to you!
A Special Opportunity - The Advent Prayer Stations, December 18-25
Beginning this Sunday and continuing to Christmas Day are the Advent Prayer Stations in the Mike Wilson Fellowship Hall. There are seven stations that move through the Christmas story from the angel visiting Mary through the wise men visiting the Christ child. Each station is designed to cause us to think of the story in a new way. The stations are also designed to be fairly interactive, and families are encouraged to experience them together.
| 
