Month: December 2022

Read: Isaiah 7:10-16; Romans 1:1-17; Matthew 1:18-25

This morning, Pastor Rick will present the birth of Jesus from Joseph’s perspective.

¹⁸ Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. ¹⁹ And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. ²⁰ But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. ²¹ She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” ²² All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: ²³ “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us).

²⁴ When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, ²⁵ but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.

Joseph has always fascinated me. In a male-dominated, patriarchal society, he is strangely silent. Nowhere in Scripture is he quoted as having spoken. Obviously, he did, but his part to play in God’s unfolding plan is shockingly brief and kept to the shadows, not the spotlight.

Matthew 1 is the one place Joseph is at the center. Matthew goes to great lengths to make sure we know that Joseph is the father of Jesus. He begins his gospel with a genealogy that traces out the generations from Abraham through David to Joseph.

Though Jesus’ birth is clearly miraculous – a virgin becomes pregnant by the work of God’s Holy Spirit – nonetheless, Joseph is his adopted father. He is the one who names Jesus according to the command of God – thus adopting Jesus as his own – and inserting Jesus into the line of David. He is great David’s many-times-great grandson. He is in the line of the Messiah.

Joseph’s story is brief, but full of beauty. Joseph is a just man. He is a man of righteousness. He is a man of faith and obedience and ultimately a man of love. In Joseph we see the mysteries of God working in subtle yet profound ways.

In Joseph’s story we see the mystery of God working in the common people and activities of life. He works in Marys and Josephs – common people – to bring into the world the Messiah. He uses the pressures of religious traditions, law, and community. He uses the customs surrounding marriage, family, and decisions to divorce. God enters into these common areas of life with transforming power. If God comes into the common and the everyday; if he has something to say even about a common man choosing to divorce his wife-to-be, how might God work in our every day lives and decisions? How might he want to transform our common lives through the presence of this uncommon child of promise?

In Joseph’s story we see the mystery of faith and obedience. Joseph is a just man. He is a man of strength and purpose. He is devoted and faithful to his beliefs and is ready to act on those commitments. When the angel breaks into his sleep, he isn’t divided and wavering. He’s resolved. He had made his decision and knew what he would do. When the angel calls him to going through with the marriage, he doesn’t say a word. He doesn’t ask for a fleece. He doesn’t question at all. He simply obeys. Matthew emphasizes his obedience by using the exact words the angel speaks to describe Joseph’s actions. How might God demonstrate his power when we are open to his call and ready to obey what he asks? Joseph gives us an example of faithful discipleship well before his son calls us to “Go and make disciples” of all nations.

In Joseph’s story we see the mystery of what righteousness looks like. Joseph decides to divorce Mary because he is a righteous man (1:19). This was not an easy decision for Joseph. To divorce Mary or have her killed are what the Law said a righteous man would do. But God calls him to something better. God calls him to grace and to a righteousness the shows itself in mercy. Joseph risks being seen as disobedient by the world; the risk of becoming an outcast to his family and friends and community; the risk of being seen as sinful and to face suffering for the sake of obeying God’s command. It reminds us of another in this story would become sin for us that the promises of God might be realized. When law and righteousness or justice seem to collide, can we trust in the promises of God? Can we trust God when it seems he’s taking us further than we can imagine?

In Joseph’s story we see the mystery of God’s promises and the ways he fulfills them. We see this throughout the Bible, but Matthew is especially concerned that we see the myriad of ways Jesus fulfills God’s promises. The miraculous birth and name “Immanuel”, first promised in Isaiah 7, Jesus is God with us and this beautiful truth begins his story and ends is at the end too: “Behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20). Even the name “Jesus” is filled with promise and meaning. The angel tells Joseph, “You shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” What a promise! If Joseph merely pondering this incredible promise so radically changes his life and mind that he reorients his entire life to make it possible, what might its fulfillment do in our lives?

Robert Smith writes that this Jesus is “pure gift, holy surprise, a fresh act of God, a new genesis, a new creation.” And it all comes about “from the Holy Spirit.” We live with the awareness of the mystery that is Jesus and that through the Spirit, God’s power is among us and ready to lead us in ways that we can only imagine. Is that good news, or is it a bit frightening? Perhaps James Boyce is right, “If we do not anticipate the Christmas event both with hope and with just a bit of anxious fear, then we are not sufficiently tuned to the implications of God’s presence among us.”

Questions for Reflection:

• Have you ever taken time to ponder Joseph’s silent, but significant, role in Jesus’ birth?
• Which of the mysteries mentioned speaks to you most? What is it that you find intriguing?
• Does the thought that Jesus is with us, that God is near, stir up a bit of fear in your heart? How would you respond if God asked you to do something that was completely different than what you had planned?

Read: Isaiah 35:1-10; Jeremiah 23:1-8; Matthew 11:2-11

This morning, Pastor Rick will present the message from a shepherd’s point of view.

³ I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the countries where I have driven them, and I will bring them back to their fold, and they shall be fruitful and multiply. ⁴ I will set shepherds over them who will care for them, and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall any be missing, declares the Lord.

⁵ “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. ⁶ In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is the name by which he will be called: ‘The Lord is our righteousness.’ (Jeremiah 23:3-6).

Have you ever thought how hard it would be to shepherd a flock of sheep in a desert? In the arid land of Israel, shepherds had a challenging task. During the rainy season there would be plenty of vegetation. Finding a place to graze was no problem.

As winter turned to spring and spring to summer, the rain would stop. Dry season would begin. Shepherds were forced to be more nomadic – sometimes walking miles to find a spring or pond that gave life to grass and plants.

Life can feel a bit like that. There are seasons of blessing and joy, but they are quickly followed by seasons of challenge. It can feel like hardship and difficulty are around every corner. It can feel like life is filled with sorrow and despair. There are wars and rumors of war. There are hurricanes and earthquakes. There are cancers and pandemics.

Imagine hearing the words of Isaiah 35 from a shepherd’s point of view. They, and all the people of Judah, knew weak hands and feeble knees (v. 3), anxious hearts (v. 4), blind eyes and deaf ears (v. 5), inability to walk or talk (v. 6). It is a picture of a body that is completely broken down and utterly overwhelmed by despair and weariness.

God speaks good news to those hurting. The ransomed of the Lord shall return and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away (v. 10). Silent tongues singing! Feeble knees walking! Fearful hearts filled with faith, hope, courage, and joy!

Even nature will be affected! The wilderness and desert will bloom like a flower (v. 1). Dry places throughout the land will become a paradise (v. 2)! The blind will see and deaf hear (v. 5), the lame will not just walk, they’ll leap and the mute will sing (v. 6)! Life and land will be transformed! It will be safe and secure – no lion or ravenous beast will be there (v. 9).

Through the prophet Isaiah, God promised a new and holy path for his people – for all who believe his promises and follow him. Though our lives can feel like deserts and the situations around us can seem hopeless, God is in the business of transformation. He turns mourning into dancing and despair into joy.

This is good news! We human beings are born in bondage to sin. We cannot free ourselves. We are by nature dead and deserving of eternal punishment. But God sent his Son. God broke into the world and did for us what we could never do for ourselves.

Advent offers us an opportunity to encourage one another. We don’t have to wander around looking for things that will relieve our pain or help us escape our circumstances. We don’t have to feel lost and hopeless. We can strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees. We can: ⁴ Say to those who have an anxious heart, “Be strong; fear not! We can proclaim tell those who are feeling oppressed or attacked: Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God. He will come and save you (vs. 3-4).

He already has! Jesus has come. His life and death and resurrection have brought forgiveness and life and hope. The promises of Isaiah 35 are promises for all who believe and the ransomed of the Lord shall return and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away (v. 10).

Nehemiah wrote that the joy of the Lord is our strength (Nehemiah 8:10). It enables us to keep faith and hope in the hardest of circumstances. It reminds us that even when we’re lost in a desert, the grace and mercy of God never fails. His love for us is never ending.

Like a shepherd who rejoices when he finds water flowing in the desert, we rejoice because we have living water – God’s Holy Spirit – in every circumstance and situation! As the angels proclaimed to those shepherds it really is good news of great joy! Christ the Lord has come!

Questions for Reflection:

• When you feel anxious or overwhelmed who or what encourages you to have joy?
• When have you experienced a desert time that was transformed by the grace of God? What was that like?
• Who is someone you can encourage? Pray for an opportunity to strengthen the week hands and make firm the feeble knees of someone around you this week!

Advent readings for this week December 12-18

     Monday – Isaiah 29:17-24; Acts 5:12-16

     Tuesday – Ezekiel 47:1-12; Jude 17-25

     Wednesday – Zechariah 8:1-17; Matthew 8:14-17, 28-34

     Thursday – 2 Samuel 7:1-17; Galatians 3:23-29

     Friday – 2 Samuel 7:18-22; Galatians 4:1-7

     Saturday – 2 Samuel 7:23-29; John 3:31-36

     Sunday – Isaiah 7:10-16; Romans 1:1-17; Matthew 1:18-25

Read Isaiah 11:1-10; Micah 5:1-5a; and Matthew 3:1-12

This morning, Pastor Rick will be sharing from the perspective of the Innkeeper, a resident of Bethlehem at the time of Jesus birth (Luke 2:1-7).

In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. ² This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. ³ And all went to be registered, each to his own town. ⁴ And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, ⁵ to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. ⁶ And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. ⁷ And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

Bethlehem, in the first century, was a small town about five and a half miles south of Jerusalem. It was famed for being the hometown of King David. In the days of Micah’s prophecy, the city was under siege. The Assyrian armies were coming against Judah and they wanted to conquer the southern kingdom as they had the northern.

The daughters of Zion were in danger of becoming the daughters of Assyria. The leader of Judah seemed to be injured. The marauding army had Jerusalem surrounded and filled the valleys all around the city. Hope for deliverance was fading fast.

A siege is designed to eliminate possibility, to starve hope. As one option after another fades away, as rations run thin and ammunition becomes scarce, hope flees. Survival seems less and less likely until finally there seem to be only two options: death or surrender.

But Micah refuses to be boxed into those choices. Though the ruler has been beaten down, there is another who will rise. Israel may lose this battle, they may ultimately be occupied and defeated, but there is one who will rise in the place of David. He will come and shepherd his people to life and victory.

In fact, 2 Kings 19:35 tells us that the angel of the Lord struck down 185,000 Assyrian troops one night so Sennacherib king of Assyria went home to Nineveh. God’s sovereign hand intervened to deliver his people! King Hezekiah’s faith in God was rewarded by God’s deliverance.

Eventually the Babylonians came and took Judah into captivity, but in these verses there is a promise of a savior who will be born to shepherd God’s flock in the strength of the Lord. He will bring them to a place of security. He will reign to the ends of the earth. He shall be their peace.

We know from Luke 2 that God orchestrates a census to get his chosen couple, Mary and Joseph, to Bethlehem, the City of David, the place Messiah will be born. Though they are bringing the one who fulfilled those promises God made in the Old Testament, they find no room at any of the inns.

Notice in the passage there is no innkeeper mentioned. In fact, the inn mentioned was probably more of a guest room or the equivalent of a modern-day hostel than a Motel 6. Mary and Joseph had relatives in Bethlehem. They were both descendants from the line of David. That’s why they had to go there for the census. But there no one would take them in. None of their relatives would offer them space. The shame of Mary’s pregnancy out of wedlock led to their rejection.

As the couple went from house to house and found no room, the hope of finding a dry, clean place to lay their heads waned. But God provided. They found a manger, a feeding trough for sheep and cattle. It could have been part of a private home or inn or it may have been one that shepherds in the community shared. Either way, it was the best they could do. While far from ideal, it was dry and secure and when the Savior of the world was born, they had a place to lay him.

A short time later, shepherds came to worship. They came to see the one the angels proclaimed had been born – a Savior who is Christ the Lord! Afterward, they went around telling everyone the news of what they had seen and what they had heard.

And…life went on. Perhaps people wondered at what they heard from the shepherds, but there is nothing to suggest they actually did something about it. We don’t read about a line of people showing up to see the baby or bring him gifts. We don’t hear about dignitaries or religious leaders coming to see if the shepherds were telling the truth. It isn’t until the magi came from the east and asked Herod where the child was living that anyone even seemed to care.

Every year, Advent comes around. It’s easy for us to get caught up in hanging lights, decorating trees, making cookies, shopping for gifts, and attending office parties. It’s easy to get so busy we have no room and no time and no energy for the wonder of Jesus, to notice the Savior who is Christ the Lord.

Advent invites us to slow down; to wait; to ponder; to treasure moments and relationships. Jesus was born into a world that had been waiting but was unprepared for his arrival. He came to the promised town of Bethlehem and no one had room for him. This Advent, let’s prepare our hearts and lives to make room for the one who has come!

Questions for Reflection:

• In your family, is Advent a time of waiting and reflecting or a time of rushing and doing? How can you make room for Jesus in the midst of the busyness?
• How does seeing God working behind the scenes to fulfill the promise he made in Micah influence your thinking about his promises that have yet to be fulfilled?
• In a world that lacks hope, what can we trust in? How does Advent help us see that?

Advent readings this week December 5-11:

     Monday – Isaiah 24:1-16a; 1 Thessalonians 4:1-12

     Tuesday – Isaiah 41:14-20; Romans 15:14-21

     Wednesday – Genesis 15:1-18; Matthew 12:33-37

     Thursday – Ruth 1:6-18; 2 Peter 3:1-10

     Friday – Ruth 4:13-17; 2 Peter 3:11-18

     Saturday – 1 Samuel 2:1-8; Luke 3:1-18

     Sunday – Isaiah 35:1-10; Jeremiah 23:1-8; Matthew 11:2-11