Scripture – Matthew 1:18-25 NRSVUE
18 Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be pregnant from the Holy Spirit. 19 Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to divorce her quietly.
20 But just when he had resolved to do 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 as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”
22 All this took place to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet:
23 “Look, the virgin shall become pregnant and give birth to a son,
and they shall name him Emmanuel,”
which means, “God is with us.”
24 When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife 25 but had no marital relations with her until she had given birth to a son, and he named him Jesus.
From Rev. Heather Leffler
Everything was arranged. Joseph and Mary had been chosen for each other. Mary had agreed, and they were betrothed. Their future was laid out before them. They would be married within the year. Then Joseph learned she was expecting a child. What was he to do? It was an impossible situation. If he didn’t divorce her quietly, she could be stoned for adultery.
When he went to bed that night, Joseph decided that was exactly what he would do. He would divorce Mary so they could both minimize the damage to their reputations. Then he slept … and dreamt.
God was asking him to be the father to Mary’s child – the promised one – to give the child his name and adopt him into the lineage of David.
Joseph did what God asked. He took Mary as his wife and named the child Jesus – Emmanuel, God with us. What he could have never imagined in the harsh light of day, Joseph could accept in the stillness of his dreams. God had a plan for this precious child and Joseph would care for him and his mother, becoming part of God’s saving work in the world.
Contemplation and Conversation
When have you found clarity or courage in the stillness of a dream, prayer, or quiet moment?
How might God be speaking to you in places you do not usually expect?
Prayer
God of our waking and our dreaming,
teach us to look beyond the easy or familiar solutions the world offers.
Open our hearts and imaginations to your greater possibilities
so that we may take our place in your work of love and restoration. Amen.
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