We continue the Christmas Story:
Now Mary has returned from her visit with Elizabeth and she's three months pregnant, and may be beginning to show.
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.
This is a real problem; she tries to explain to her fiancee, but it's just too incredible. Here she's been out of town, and now this!
And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man and not wanting to disgrace her, planned
to send her away secretly.
Joseph loved Mary, and thought she was a godly woman, but now this is really a shock, what a story she made up to cover! How can he believe this?
He is in a quandary, how can he marry this girl, does he really want to still make her his wife, pregnant with someone else's baby? But he doesn't want her stoned or ridiculed. He'll just divorce her quietly and send her back to her father to deal with her.
He'll have to sleep on this, and do it in the morning.
But when he had considered this, behold an Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.
Woah, is this just a dream, or is this really God's messenger, actually talking to me? What? You mean she was telling me the truth?
"She will bear a Son; and you shall call His Name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins."
This must be real, God must be answering all of our prayers, and fulfilling the promises He made to send us His Messiah! Wow! And using my Mary!
Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet:
Behold the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His Name Immanuel (Isaiah 7: 14),which translated means "God with us."
So this Child growing in Mary's womb is to be named "Savior" because He is "God who is with us." This is so unbelievable, God had to send His Angel to Joseph to convince him.
And Joseph awoke from his sleep and did as the Angel of the Lord commanded him, and took Mary as his wife,
So that next morning, all their arguments were ended, Joseph could support her now, and go ahead and marry this girl he was in love with, and take care of her and this precious Child God was giving them. He would be His legal father, and be a dad to Him.
but kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a Son;
But he didn't have marital relations with her until after the birth and cleansing that the Law proscribed. He wanted to make sure to do everything right. He was a righteous man. A simple carpenter, who only wanted to live a good life.
and he called His Name Jesus.
Both Mary and Joseph agreed that the child would have the Name the Angel had told them to give Him, when they named Him Jesus at His circumcision when He was eight days old, according to the Law.
God really does do everything, possible and impossible, for us. This miracle of a virgin girl being pregnant with God's child is a story that sounds like a fairy tale, not believable in real life. But God is God, and His intent was to give His Son a human body that could die. That's the only way He could save us. So the virgin girl would give Him genuine humanity, and God the Father would insure that the Son is still the Son, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity.
The promised Messiah, in order to be our Savior, had to be God, to be the eternal Person who could pay our eternal debt in Time. And He also had to be a genuine human, to die Man's death for each of us, fulfilling the Personal Sacrifice as the Lamb of God. He alone qualified to accomplish that feat.
But it took God's Angel to convince both Mary and Joseph of the Truth of the reality of how God was doing this through them.
O my Father, please help me to believe what You have for me, to really trust You like Mary and Joseph did, to do what You promised You would do. Give me an accurate understanding of what You have promised me in Your Word, so that I will look for Your answers, and recognize them when they come.
Father, let me not look at the circumstances surrounding me, as Mary's and Joseph's focus was taken off of the obvious reality and onto Your promise. Help me to trust You as they did, and proceed to do what I need to do, in response to Your leading and guiding me in the path You put my feet on, even when I face the fears of the unknown.
I know that they are not unknown to You, You see the end of my path, and I am still in the midst of it somewhere. I can only see the next step, but I place my hand in Yours, Father; to keep me straight, not going back to my own understanding, but Your thoughts for me.
And help me in serving You to help Your children understand who You are and Your ways for them, also. Use me, use my ministry, to grow them to maturity, and to introduce You to those who don't know You yet.
Send me and my words out into the World, to draw many to You, Father. To find Your lost sheep, and draw them into experiencing Your great Love for them, as You have for me. Strengthen me against the onslaught of the evil in the World that comes against all those who are faithful to You. Keep me steadfast in Your Truth, my feet firmly planted on the Rock of my Salvation.
Father, send out all Your workers into Your fields for sowing and reaping, and bring all of Your sheep into the shelter and safety of Your One Fold with One Shepherd.
Fill Your great house to overflowing, Father, with all of Your uncountable children, around Your grand Banquet Table to feast and fellowship with You forevermore.
And every eye shall see, every knee will bow, every tongue will proclaim that Jesus, the Son of Mary, is the Son of God, our Messiah and Redeemer, the Lord God Almighty, King of Israel and of the whole Universe, to the eternal glory of Almighty God the Father, for ever and ever. Amen.
Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus!
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