March 26, 2015: Matthew 1:16, 18-21,24

We encourage you to read this devotion three times a day.  Start in the morning and reflect upon the morning reflection question. Then in the afternoon, read it again and reflect using the noon question for reflection.  For the evening, take time to ponder how this has resonated with you in the day and reflecting using the evening question.  We offer a prayer with each devotion for you to pray or we invite you to pray what is in your heart.

Matthew 1:16, 18-21, 24

¹⁶and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called the Messiah.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. ¹⁹Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly. ²⁰But 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. ²¹She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.’  ²⁴When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife, 

Reflection:

            Joseph took a leap of faith in heeding the martial advice of an angel in a dream, taking Mary as his wife, and raising Jesus as his son. The scripture does not say if Joseph felt nervous, embarrassed, angry, or scared when he learned that Mary was pregnant. It only says that when he awoke he did as the angel commanded. We have to imagine that he had some mixed feelings about the situation he found himself in, but the writer of Matthew must not have believed Joseph's inner thought were important. What was important was his response: he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him.

            We, too, have probably been in a situation in which you found yourself having to take a leap of faith in order to follow God. Following God often involves making decisions that are unpopular or seem ludicrous to an outsider, following a path without knowing how it will end, or changing the plans you had carefully laid out for yourself. Joseph had to do all these things when he wed a pregnant Mary. Joseph did not seek to fit God's plan into his life; he radically changed his own life in order to do God's will. While this may have been a difficult decision Joseph was rewarded by having an integral role in God's plan: helping to raise and provide for God's Son.

            God may not send each of us an angel in a dream to show us God's will for our lives, but if you listen for God's nudging and follow it, you will also be blessed as Joseph was because it is always a blessing to be used by God.

Reflection Questions:

Morning: How is God speaking to me? What things in my life may be distracting me from the message of God?

Noon: What is God leading me to do in my life? How can I best follow God?

Evening: What may I have to "give up" in order to follow God?

Prayer: Thank you, God, for your constant presence in my life. Help me to listen for the many ways you speak to me and to welcome your calling on my life. Make me an instrument for your work in the world. Amen.