Hello
Friends,
Welcome
back to Prepared Hearts, the online Bible study of the Wacousta Community United Methodist Church.
For
this third week of Advent our texts include: Isaiah 7:10-16, Psalm 80:1-7,
17-19, Romans 1:1-7, and Matthew 1:18-25. I’ll be preaching from Matthew. The
text is below, followed by starter thoughts.
Matthew
1:18-25
18
Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When his mother Mary
had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be
with child from the Holy Spirit. 19 Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man
and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly.
20 But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to
him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary
as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She
will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people
from their sins.’
22
All this took place to fulfil what had been spoken by the Lord through the
prophet: 23 ‘Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall
name him Emmanuel’, which means, ‘God is with us.’ 24 When Joseph awoke from
sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife,
25 but had no marital relations with her until she had borne a son; and he
named him Jesus.
STARTER
THOUGHTS
This
week’s text invites us to a walk a mile in Joseph’s shoes. Imagine good ol’
law-abiding Joseph trapped between a rock and a hard place. His betrothed is
pregnant, which is grounds not only for him to break off the engagement but for
Mary to be stoned to death. Although he must have felt humiliated and disgraced
himself, he refused to put Mary to shame and planned to “dismiss her quietly,”
although it’s unclear how he’d be able to pull that one off. Marriage wasn’t an
arrangement based on affection, but a legal agreement that had been worked out between
their families. Nevertheless, he is resolved to do the kind thing, and then God comes and asks him to do the unthinkable thing: marry Mary anyway!
What do you imagine was Joseph’s greatest challenge during this period of time?
How do you think he managed to go through with what the Lord commanded of him?
God
sent an angel to Joseph in a dream, and the angel gave him very clear
instructions. Unfortunately, not all of us experience such direct guidance when
faced with life’s challenges. How does God communicate to you in times of
crisis? When and where have you heard God’s voice, and how have you responded?
If an angel of the Lord appeared to you in a dream, would you listen to the
message or wonder what you ate the night before and dismiss it?
The
Gospel of Matthew puts a great deal of emphasis upon how the birth of Jesus
fulfills the prophecies of ancient Israel. Why do you think that this was so critical
in the early stages of Christianity? Is
it still as critical today? Why or why not?
The
Bible gives us very little detail about the man God chose to be Jesus’ earthly
father. Yet, this short story reveals a lot about Joseph’s character. What
traits does he exhibit that indicate he’s up to the challenge of raising God’s
son? What impact do you think these traits had upon Jesus as he was being
raised in Joseph and Mary’s home?
As
always, I look forward to your thoughts and reflections. Feel free to email me
directly or post a comment here.
Peace,
Pastor
Amee
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