From Darkness to Light
God Prepares the Way
Mary Marvels at God's Choice
Live in the light of God (Isaiah 2:5) Matthew 1:18-25 The MessageThe Birth of Jesus18-19 The birth of Jesus took place like this. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. Before they enjoyed their wedding night, Joseph discovered she was pregnant. (It was by the Holy Spirit, but he didn’t know that.) Joseph, chagrined but noble, determined to take care of things quietly so Mary would not be disgraced. 20-23 While he was trying to figure a way out, he had a dream. God’s angel spoke in the dream: “Joseph, son of David, don’t hesitate to get married. Mary’s pregnancy is Spirit-conceived. God’s Holy Spirit has made her pregnant. She will bring a son to birth, and when she does, you, Joseph, will name him Jesus—‘God saves’—because he will save his people from their sins.” This would bring the prophet’s embryonic revelation to full term: Watch for this—a virgin will get pregnant and bear a son;
They will name him Immanuel (Hebrew for “God is with us”). 24-25 Then Joseph woke up. He did exactly what God’s angel commanded in the dream: He married Mary. But he did not consummate the marriage until she had the baby. He named the baby Jesus.
For Reflection
There were fourteen generations from Abraham to David, another fourteen from David to the Babylonian Exile, and another fourteen from the exile to the birth of Christ. Jesus had a long bloodline. But the ancestry was anything but the epitome of a pious squeaky-clean heritage. Jesus' line contained a prostitute, an adulterer, and other scandalous relationships. In short, Jesus was human with all of humanity's sinning and righteousness.
Jesus' birth, however, brought an end to that bloodline. God became flesh in Mary. Jesus was humankind reborn. Divinity and humanity combined into one being. God had shown God's face and invited humanity to form a deeper, more intimate relationship with our creator. PrayMeditate on this miraculous event. Pray prayers of thanksgiving. Pray about the wonder of it all. Pray, and answer God's desire for an intimate relationship with you.
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