Joseph Heeds What The Angel Says

Matthew 1:18-25 KJV; Conceived by the Holy Ghost; born of the virgin Mary, Jesus comes into the world and is with us even now even as he will come again in full glory to take us to the place he has prepared for us.

The Lord Is With Thee

Luke 1:26-38; 1 Peter, 2:9; Matthew 28:20; An angel visits Mary. The Lord is with her and with thee as well.

The Sign

Ask thee a sign of the Lord thy God; ask it either in the depth, or in the height above.

But Ahaz said, I will not ask, neither will I tempt the Lord.

And he said, Hear ye now, O house of David; Is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will ye weary my God also?

Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

Butter and honey shall he eat, that he may know to refuse the evil, and choose the good. 

                                                                       (Isa 7:13-15 KJV)

The king of Judah refused to weary God by tempting Him to ask for a sign for a sign indeed would be given. The sign pointing to our salvation was the conception and the virgin birth of Jesus. Although the people of Judah and we ourselves would weary God by our evil ways, Jesus would not ever succumb to sinning against our Father in heaven. He would do His will by living to glorify God. He would do His will by sacrificing his life on a cross so that we could be forgiven our sins and reconciled to our Father in heaven.

The birth; the life, the death, and the resurrection of Jesus is the sign given to us by God. He is the reason for our hope. He is the reason for this season.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Miracles

He Has The Best Plan!

And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be.

And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus.

                                                                        (Luke 1:26-31 KJV)

That ought to be enough to knock your socks off! What a sight! Can you even begin to imagine how you might react if an angel suddenly appeared before you? And... then tells you; although you are a virgin, that you are going to have a child by someone other than you are about to marry.

But, the angel tells her not to be afraid. This coming child may not be in Mary's plans; but, it is in God's plan for her and the world. It is a good plan. It is the best plan ever! Likewise; when things are happening in our lives that have nothing to do with what we have planned for ourselves, we need not fear; but, trust that God has a good purpose for those who love Him. 

"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." (Rom 8:28)

Do not fear! Have faith that God has a good plan for you.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

The Word Is True! Listen To Him!

O Lord, thou art my God; I will exalt thee, I will praise thy name; for thou hast done wonderful things; thy counsels of old are faithfulness and truth. (Isa 25:1 KJV)

Whatever God says, it happens. He spoke and all things were created. He promised Abraham that he would be the father of many nations. This, too, has happened. He told Moses to lift up his staff and the seas would be parted so that the children of Israel could escape. And, they did. 

Through Isaiah was heard the promise: "Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel." (Isa 7:14) 

The Gospel according to St. Luke testifies to that same promise of old:

And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth,

To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary.

And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.

And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus.

Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?

And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. 

                                                                          (Luke 1:26-27, 30-35)

It was promised. It was done. At both the baptism of Jesus and later on the mountain where he was transfigured we hear these words from out of no where or everywhere: "This is my beloved Son."

The Word of God is true. It would behoove us to listen to Him!

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Our Lord Reigns

"And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end."  Luke 1:30-33 KJV

What can I say more? The Word of the Lord and it is so!

Thanks be to God for our Lord Jesus the Christ, born of a virgin, reigns!

God's Peace - Pr. J

The Lord Is With You!

In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” (Luke 1:26-28 NRSV)

Can you just imagine! What a fearful moment it would be to have an angel come to you visibly and speak to you. You hear the words: "Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you." Fear and joy are commingled.

The Mary visitation will not be repeated. There can only be one mother of Jesus. But, you have received the promise of being a favored one. You have received the promise that the Lord is with you. 

"But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people, in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light." (1 Peter 2:9)

"...And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matt 28:20)

Rejoice! Beloved child of God, the Lord is with you!

God's Peace - Pr. J

Mary Listened!

In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” Luke 1:26-28

Mary was a bit astounded; but, she believed the angel. When an angel went to Joseph with the news; he was more than a bit astonished; but, he listened and he believed the good news. A virgin shall bear shall bear the son of God. Hmmm....

Can you imagine an angel showing up and delivering such a message of good news! Would we recognize the messenger as an angel? Would we believe the good news? The reality is that God sends us messages of good news all the time. We can read it in the Holy Scriptures. We can hear it during worship. Oh, yes, your pastor and many of your friends, even strangers, probably deliver the message of good news to you all the time. Do you take the time to listen or do you shut the door on the good news for you? And, if you listen do you believe?

Open our ears Lord that we might hear the Good News of the Kingdom. Open our hearts, Lord, that we might joyfully receive the Good News that we have heard.

God's Peace - Pr. J