Come Home for Christmas
Friday, December 29, 2006
My Prayer Today
Heavenly Father, as we move to the end of yet another year, as we move out of the “season” of Christmas, I pray that I may keep the spirit of Christmas in my heart and life throughout the coming year. Lord, I know that at its heart the spirit of Christmas is giving, since You loved us so much that You gave us Jesus. Jesus gave Himself—all of Himself for us, from the moment of His birth in Bethlehem to His crucifixion some thirty-three years later! Fill me with Your Holy Spirit that I may live faithfully in every circumstance and that I may be a giver—a give of my time, of my talent, of my treasure and of my life to glorify and honor You. This I pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.
God’s Word Today
Matthew 1:20-25
20As he considered this, he fell asleep, and an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to go ahead with your marriage to Mary. For the child within her has been conceived by the Holy Spirit. 21And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” 22All of this happened to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet:
23 “Look! The virgin will conceive a child!
She will give birth to a son,
and he will be called Immanuel
(meaning, God is with us).”
24When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord commanded. He brought Mary home to be his wife, 25but she remained a virgin until her son was born. And Joseph named him Jesus.
Matthew 2:13-15; 19-23
13After the wise men were gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up and flee to Egypt with the child and his mother,” the angel said. “Stay there until I tell you to return, because Herod is going to try to kill the child.” 14That night Joseph left for Egypt with the child and Mary, his mother, 15and they stayed there until Herod’s death. This fulfilled what the Lord had spoken through the prophet: “I called my Son out of Egypt.
19When Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and told him, 20“Get up and take the child and his mother back to the land of Israel, because those who were trying to kill the child are dead.” 21So Joseph returned immediately to Israel with Jesus and his mother. 22But when he learned that the new ruler was Herod’s son Archelaus, he was afraid. Then, in another dream, he was warned to go to Galilee. 23So they went and lived in a town called Nazareth. This fulfilled what was spoken by the prophets concerning the Messiah: “He will be called a Nazarene.”
Reflecting on God’s Word
What do you think it would be like to have an angel give you instructions at the crucial points in your life? Why?
A Deeper Exploration of God’s Word
Review this week’s Scripture readings one more time. What is the most important truth they contain as you see it?
Understanding God’s Purpose for Us
Review this week’s Scriptures one more time. What is the overarching purpose of God in Joseph’s life according to them? How does this purpose inform God’s purpose for us?
Applying God’s Word to Our Purpose
As you reviewed this week’s Scripture one, final time what “action point(s)” jump out at you? How will you carry that point(s) out in your daily life today and into the future? Consider this and write and responses below:
Thoughts—“Joseph, a Man of God…”
In summing up this week’s Scripture, we must conclude that Joseph was a man of God. He was put in the extremely difficult position of being told by his fiancé that she was pregnant “by the Holy Spirit.” That has only happened once in all of human history, so it must have seemed absurd when Mary offered the explanation to Joseph. Even then, Joseph didn’t call for the full punishment offered in the law of Moses for Mary—death. He was going to put her away privately. This shows that even before the angel started speaking to Joseph, he was a man of compassion, or at the very least a man of mercy. Then when the angel started speaking to him in dreams, Joseph LISTENED and OBEYED. That had to be a challenge. In his mind, perhaps Joseph would have wondered if the first dream, which confirmed Mary’s account of her pregnancy wasn’t just a desire on his part for the story to be true. Maybe he did wonder that, but in the end he listened and obeyed. That was Joseph’s posture as Jesus’ stepfather. He listened to God’s voice and did God’s will. We often—nearly always—see a parent’s values lived out in their children. Granted that Jesus is the Son of God, but even so, we can assume that Jesus saw Joseph’s faithfulness and it was that much easier for Him to live faithfully as a result. May we live in such faithful ways ourselves!