Matthew 1:18-21 A Christmas Story

Matthew 1:18-21  “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.  And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man and not wanting to disgrace her, planned to send her away secretly.  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.  She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.’" (NASB)

It is Christmas Eve and the family is all at home, the football game is on and Sharon is in the kitchen preparing the soup we will share with family later this evening.  It has become a tradition that following the evening candlelight service at church that we return here to a simple meal consisting of some kind of soup and various treats we and other family members provide.  We’ll all remark how wonderful the soup is – and truthfully so because Sharon truly is a remarkable cook.  Then we’ll settle in and watch “A Christmas Story” and hear those famous words, “You’ll shoot your eye out with that thing”.  Great tradition; great memories.  In the morning we’ll drag the kids out of bed (didn’t use to be that way) to see what “Santa” brought and eventually end up over at Sharon’s Mom’s to meet up with family again and have lunch.  This is our Christmas routine, our tradition and it is both comfortable and satisfying after all these years.

But if that were the beginning and end of Christmas as I’m afraid it is for many it would be hollow indeed.  In addition to the traditions of Christmas which look very similar to many in this country we put a focus on the essence and quite literally the essentials of the day.  While there are many passages from Scripture that predict, depict and explain the event of Jesus’ birth, I have chosen to share this passage from Matthew’s gospel.  In it we actually have an event that takes place prior to the arrival of Jesus so it is a prophecy of arrival albeit an immediate one.

Matthew records that, “Mary had been betrothed to Joseph”.  In that day the betrothal was a sort of point of no return much more than an engagement today.  To back out of the relationship before the actual marriage would have required a “Divorce”.  That is significant when weighed against the news that was revealed to Joseph.  Scriptures says that, “Before they came together she was found to be with child …”  Now Joseph when presented with the news of his betrothed coming up pregnant would have certainly been within his rights to, “Divorce” her for the act of infidelity.  But Joseph loved Mary and although deeply hurt by this news of her situation did not want to bring her shame by publicly divorcing her.  “Being a righteous man and not wanting to disgrace her, (he) planned to send her away secretly.”

What a standup guy Joseph was.  He didn’t know what had happened.  He just knew Mary had a baby in her womb and it wasn’t his.

As he was mulling all of this over the Lord sent a messenger to give him a clue.  “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”.  I’ll be honest, “Afraid” is not the emotion I might be feeling.  Well, I suppose some fear might be involved because if he were to take Mary as his wife and claim the child as his own he would essentially be saying,  "We didn’t wait; we jumped the gun during our engagement and did not wait until we were properly wed to consummate our marriage".  So, fear could well have been an emotion on Joseph’s mind.  But the angel went on, “For the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit”.  WHAT?

Okay – so this reassurance from this messenger angel in Joseph’s dream tells him to chill out and not be afraid then gives the reason that the child has been conceived by the Holy Spirit.  Wow!  Would that calm you down?  I’m not thinking I would be more calm after receiving this news.  I’d be – freaking out!

So it is with that preamble that we come to the conclusion of the passage.  With Joseph in a slumber being addressed by a messenger from heaven and presented with this incredible news about his betrothed the final and most significant information is shared.  Stay with me here.  Joseph is asleep, Scripture says he was approached in a dream by the angel and it is in this state that the communication of this news takes place.  Asleep or not his heart had to be racing by the time this news of the Holy Spirit conceiving the child in Mary’s womb.  Then and only then does the angel share, “She will bear a Son”.  Okay Joseph might have stayed with him for this but then, “And you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”  Well, we know Joseph remembered the name part because he got that right.  But did he catch, “He will save His people from their sins”?  Did he?

That is the significance of Christmas.  I’m afraid with all the shock of the moment Joseph may have missed that essential part of the message delivered by the angel that night in his dream.  In his shoes I’m convinced I would have.  I’m equally convinced that many miss the significance of Christmas today.  All blended in with the traditions with friends and family which are all wonderful things there is one and only one essential meaning of Christmas.  “And you shall call his name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins”.  AMEN!

Luke 1:26-37 Christmas part 5: Mary, Did You Know?

Luke 1:26-37  “Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the descendants of David; and the virgin's name was Mary.  And coming in, he said to her, ‘Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.’  But she was very perplexed at this statement, and kept pondering what kind of salutation this was.  The angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God.  ‘And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus.  ‘He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.’  Mary said to the angel, ‘How can this be, since I am a virgin?’  The angel answered and said to her, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God.  ‘And behold, even your relative Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age; and she who was called barren is now in her sixth month.  ‘For nothing will be impossible with God.’” (NASB)

Today’s passage, longer than normal, is the story of Mary being approached by the angel Gabriel who told her all that was about to happen to her.  It is from Mary’s perspective then that I’d like to consider this news.

The passage tells us Mary was engaged or betrothed to Joseph when this happens.  Nelson’s Manners and Customs discusses the normal situation leading to marriage in that day.  It says normally a betrothal took place when a girl was twelve years old.  This period of betrothal would last up to a year so even stretching things Mary would have been a very young girl.  Perhaps she was a teenager but maybe younger.  That alone is worth a WOW!

Can you imagine?  This young girl is approached by one of the most powerful of God’s angels, Gabriel.  Although Gabriel says, “Do not be afraid, Mary”.  The only recorded reaction of Mary is her perplexity.  What Gabriel was telling her didn’t make sense, why should she be greeted as, “Favored one”!   Why would he say, “The Lord is with you”?

Gabriel goes on to share with Mary various significant attributes and accomplishments this Child will accomplish.  “He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High”.  He will be given, “The throne of His father David”.  “He will reign over the house of Jacob”, of Israel and the term of his reign will be, “Forever”.  “His kingdom will have no end”.  What? How?  That’s a lot of powerful stuff Gabriel just dumped on little Mary.  Now she has to really be wondering “What’s going on”?

The clarification of those early mysteries was answered by an explanation that still baffles us today.  Gabriel tells Mary, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God”.  WOW!

So not only will the virgin be with Child, that Child will be the Son of God?  Can you imagine?

It is my opinion that some make too much of a deal about Mary, elevating her to something beyond human I think.  None-the-less, Mary was special.  This woman, a child herself would be pregnant with not just any child, but the Child, the Son of God, Jesus.  And what did Mary do when she learned of this news?  She obediently followed the instructions given to her as did Joseph.

Jesus was born to this humble family in little Bethlehem, the Son of God.  This gift of the Christ Child, Savior, and King we celebrate at Christmas was delivered by a young scared teen mom in a strange town.  What a gift she gave us!  AMEN!