Yesterday I put away all of our Christmas decorations. It doesn’t seem that we have as many decorations as other homes I’ve seen, but we do have seven storage containers filled with lights, knick-knacks, ornaments, stockings and dishes, in addition to the tree.
As I was taking the ornaments off the tree, I realized that we did not buy a single one. Continue reading “Back in the box”
“When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus” (Matt. 1:24-25).
If anyone ever underestimates Joseph's part in the story of Christ's birth, they just need to read these two verses. Some honeymoon, huh? I know, I should be a little more reverent, but the whole idea of getting married is so that you can “know” your wife (and I know you know what that means!). Obedient, patient, self-controlled — if you ask me, Joseph is one heck of a husband!
It’s a new year. The writer of Ecclesiastes says there is “nothing new under the sun” (Ecc. 1:9). But I found all these new things mentioned in scripture:
Christmas 2013 in Florida had unique blessings. It was different for us this year because we did not have all of our children here with us. Adam and Sarah went to be with her family in Champaign, IL after worship at his church in Dallas. Katie and her fiancee Brian will be here this weekend and we will have a little more Christmas. (Next year, though, I think it will be our turn to have everyone here, including a small addition to the family coming in July.) Continue reading “Christmas 2013 reflections”
I find it very interesting that Matthew draws on so much Old Testament prophecy to tell the story. Here, he quotes Isaiah 7:14 and links it to Jesus’ birth. I can’t imagine anyone at the time of Isaiah had the slightest clue what these words would later mean.
“…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. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:20-21).
As an angel unveils what God has done, Joseph discovers he’s right in the middle of it. God’s plan includes him. He is to marry Mary, name her son and be his father. Just a few moments before, Joseph was ready to walk away. Not so fast, Joseph! You’ve got an important role. You’re the connection with David. You’ve got a wife to take care of. You get to name the Savior. Continue reading “Matthew 1:20-21 A name”
“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. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. 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. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins'”(Matthew 1:18-21).
Here are a couple of people who are just trying to do the right thing. They plan to get married, have children, start their life together. God shows up and upsets their plans. (After all, his plans aren’t our plans and his ways aren’t our ways.) So, Joseph tries to do the right thing with a quiet divorce, adhering to the law while sparing his fiancee some very severe consequences. But then Joseph learns in a dream that the right thing is indeed marriage, children and a life with Mary. He received the assurance, “It’s OK. And it’s going to be OK.” Continue reading “Matther 1:18-21 Doing the right thing”
“So all the generations from Abraham to David were fourteen generations, and from David to the deportation to Babylon fourteen generations, and from the deportation to Babylon to the Christ fourteen generations” (Matthew 1:17).
Lot of numbers in the Bible have significance: six days of creation, twelve disciples, forty days and nights of rain. But what about fourteen? Why does Matthew make us notice the three sets of generations in the ancestry of Jesus Christ? Actually, Matthew skips a few names so that it will fit this pattern. Why? Continue reading “Matthew 1:17 Fourteen?”
As Matthew traces Jesus’ lineage through the kings following David and Solomon, he includes some good ones, like Uzziah, Jotham and Hezekiah. He also includes some who weren’t good, like Joram, Ahaz and Amos. Some, like Manasseh, started evil and ended their reign good. I think that there is an interesting assortment of rulers to fill out the fourteen between David and the exile.
Waite for it... 