The birth of Jesus the Messiah, happened like this: after
his mother, Mary, was engaged to Joseph, she became pregnant. Joseph, being a
righteous man, and not willing to make a public example of her, considered ending
the relationship quietly. But as he thought about these things, an angel of the
Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, don’t be afraid
to take Mary to be your wife, for what is conceived in her is of the Holy
Spirit. She shall give birth to a son. You shall call him Jesus, for he will
save his people from their sins.”
This happened, to fulfill what was said by the Lord through
a prophet:
“Behold, the virgin shall be with child,
and shall give birth to a son.
They shall call his name Immanuel”;
which means, “God with us.”
Joseph arose from his sleep, ready to do as the angel of the
Lord commanded: he would take Mary to be his wife, and would not sleep with her
until she had given birth to her firstborn son.
Some months later, a decree went out from Caesar Augustus
that the world should be taxed, and all went to their ancestral city to be enrolled.
Joseph went from Nazareth in Galilee, to Bethlehem in Judea, the city of David,
his ancestor, to be enrolled with Mary, who was pregnant.
While they were there, the day came for her to give birth to
her firstborn son. She wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger,
because there was no room for them in the inn.
For Reflection
Joseph
faced an enormous dilemma when he learned of Mary’s pregnancy. He had to have
felt torn between accepting either the unthinkable or the unbelievable. The
message from the angel didn’t promise an easy path, but at least the right
thing to do became clear.
What have
been some of the most difficult decisions you’ve had to make? Have you sensed
God making it clear to you what was the right thing to do even when it was not
the easiest?
Prayer:
When I’m faced with seemingly impossible choices, help me know, Lord, which way
to go.
No comments:
Post a Comment