Monday December 11, 2023

Today is Monday, December 11 and we are reading about the joy of Christ’s Birth.

As I enter this time of prayer, I still my mind, slow my breath and draw my heart near to God. As Christmas approaches, I prepare my soul and joyfully await the coming of the Messiah.

Pause and Pray

Holy and loving God, I come here to listen for your voice speaking to me from the sacred words of the Holy Bible. Remind me of the truth of the Incarnation of Jesus and the joy his birth brings to the world. Amen.

I praise God and seek his eternal truth in the ancient words of the prophet Isaiah.

And a highway will be there; it will be called the Way of Holiness; it will be for those who walk on that Way. They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away. Isaiah 35:8a,10

Pause and Pray

Most Biblical scholars believe Joseph and Mary were young. Mary was likely as young as fourteen to sixteen years old. Joseph was perhaps nineteen. They were from Nazareth. In John 1:46, Nathaniel asks, “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” Nazareth was an insignificant village, forgotten, overlooked and even disdained. It was a poor community just four miles away from where the wealthy people lived. Sepphoris was a rich, stylish community with luxury villas, Roman theater, and a thriving marketplace. Sepphoris was where the “haves” lived and Nazareth was where the “have nots” lived. Why would God choose two poor teenagers from the “wrong side of the tracks” to bear the Savior of the world?

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. 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. 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. 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.” Matthew 1:18-21

God entrusted Mary and Joseph with his one and only Son. Jesus came into the world as a tiny, helpless baby entering an environment of constant threat and danger. King Herod who would shortly set out to kill him, yet God placed him in the hands of two poor, young, ordinary teenagers. God trusted them. The news from the angel is certainly not what Joseph planned for his future. This was not what he expected and he was likely afraid. Joseph had to trust God too. God entrusted Mary and Joseph with an incredible responsibility and Mary and Joseph trusted God with their future.

Ask: With what has God entrusted me? How have I trusted God with my future?

Pause and Pray

Holy and blessed Lord, just as the course of Joseph’s life took a turn he was not expecting, my life often does the same. Give me wisdom to know the best course forward. Give me a heart of discernment and help me hear the voice of reason. Remove the fears I have and worries I harbor over future uncertainties. I trust you with my life. Thank you for the joy of your Son Jesus who saves me and the world from sin. I read the words from Matthew again and listen for the message you have for me.

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. 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. 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. 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.” Matthew 1:18-21

Ask: What image, word or phrase stands out to me when I slowly read this passage? What is God trying to say to me through these words of scripture?

Pause and Pray

The encounter between Joseph and the angel is a familiar one, yet I listen for a unique bit of wisdom the Holy Spirit might offer me this morning. Perhaps I have a question for God about current circumstances in my own life. Maybe God wants to guide me into the future and I am resistant. Perhaps God wants to grant me wisdom for my relationships and I am not listening. Maybe God wants to supply me exactly what I most need and I am not ready to receive his answer. Perhaps I am not moving forward because of fear. Maybe this Christmas is the perfect time for me to place my trust completely in God.

Pause and Pray

Lord Jesus, I welcome you into the manger of my heart this Advent season. I prepare a place for your Spirit to be born anew in me. Remove any obstacles I have erected that prevent you from fully dwelling in me. I trust you completely with my future. Fill me with the joy of your presence. Amen.

The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him. Psalm 28:7

I leave this time of prayer trusting in God. I go to be a good steward of the life which he has entrusted to me.

Amen