December 14, 2020
Matthew 1:18-19—Joseph
“Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit. Joseph her husband, being a righteous man and not wanting to disgrace her, planned to send her away secretly.” Matthew 1:18-19
The nativity story seems more about Mary than Joseph. It is easy to ignore him. Let us look deeper into Joseph. He was a righteous man. Joseph was kind, considerate and thoughtful. Knowing that Mary was with child, he decided to stay with her and then dismiss her later. He did not want to cause her public disgrace.
We know through scripture that an Angel appeared to Joseph in a dream and told him that Mary’s child was from the Holy Spirit. This baby will be named Jesus and will save his people from their sins.
We need to learn from Joseph’s experience. We can feel righteous and kind in our hearts, but if things change, it can make us reconsider our actions and possibly tempt us to take another path. When this happens, we, too, must listen to God and do His will in our lives. Through obeying God, we can find our place at the manger.
Prayer: Dear God, may we be more like Joseph. Help us to listen and obey your call for us. Guide us to our place at the manger. Amen.
Jean Knox