Luke 2:8-16 8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. 10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. 12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, 14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. 15 And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. 16 And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. Matthew 2:1-2, 10-11 1 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, 2 Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. 11 And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense and myrrh. -Have you ever thought about what was going through Joseph’s mind as the baby Jesus’ birth came due? Out in a barn surrounded by hay and dung; any husband would want better for their wife and couldn’t help but to feel like a failure on some level. Do you think he ever doubted the message that the angel delivered to him? If God had ordained the birth of the Savior, surely He would arrange for better circumstances than this? Maybe Joseph began to think that he was crazy; maybe an angel never visited him and he had invented the whole thing out of denial for Mary’s unexplained pregnancy. Then out of nowhere, some shepherds’ show up and what do they say, “An angel appeared and told us we could find the Savior here.” What was it like for him caring for the Child who was God? Maybe Joseph thought God was crazy; maybe God wasn’t paying attention and His plan had fallen apart. Then out of nowhere, some wise men appeared and what do they say, “We followed a star here and came to worship the baby who was born King.” Joseph took a leap of faith when he chose to stay with Mary and take responsibility for this Child, but the Lord was there step-by-step to lead Joseph and provide encouragement that God had not left him and that He had not forsaken him (Deuteronomy 31:6). God is still with us just as strongly today; He may ask us to take a journey of 1000 miles, but He’s never asked anyone to take a single step alone.
Posted on: Tue, 23 Dec 2014 12:12:19 +0000
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