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December 8: Read Matthew 1:24-25; 2:14, 21-23 ESV As we have looked at each telling of Joseph’s encounters with God through dreams and angels, the common theme we see is Joseph obeying what he hears. Scripture never records that Joseph hesitates, stops to ask more questions, argues the instructions, or throws in the towel when the directives are hard. Joseph does as the Lord guides. I’ve often wondered how Joseph could have such faith and obedience. What does he know about following the Lord that I haven’t learned yet? What experience has motivated such faith? What history of God’s character does he lean into to believe so clearly?…

December 7: Read Matthew 2:19-23 NLT Joseph has two more dreams where important instructions are given. First, to go back to Israel with Mary and Jesus because the threat to their lives is over—Herod is dead. Then, after Joseph arrives back in Israel, he is directed to go to Nazareth because of potential danger from Archelaus, Herod’s son. God is working out His plan, as Jesus would be ‘called a Nazarene.’ What a remarkable series of journeys for Joseph’s family. Go to Bethlehem, then Egypt, back to Israel, to end up in Nazareth. What about us? Whether we have lived and worked in many different places or lived…

December 6: Read Matthew 2:3-15 NLT I do not know about you, but I have never had someone trying to kill me or any of my family members. So, it is hard for me to understand what Joseph was feeling—the fear and worry—when he experiences a second dream that warns him about a plot to kill his son, Jesus. King Herod was so paranoid about losing his throne and the power that went with it that he would murder anyone he perceived to be a threat. Once again, as discussed earlier, the world Jesus was born into was full of evil. People were power hungry and money hungry,…

December 5: Read Matthew 1:20-25 NLT Have you ever been accused of living in a dream world? Maybe you are unaware of what is happening around you because you are drawn into your own world of imagination? Joseph was not in his little dream world but experiencing real messages from God through an angel. These messages guided him through his future journeys.  Why dreams? Joseph lived in a time and culture where dreams were accepted as an avenue for God to communicate with his people, albeit through messengers. God knows our personalities and the best way to get our attention to pass on instructions to us. God may…

December 4: Read Matthew 1:18-25 NLT  Over the next days we will explore Joseph’s part in the Christmas story. Did Joseph ever dream he would have such a choice? Mary, Joseph’s intended wife, finds herself pregnant and Joseph is not the father. Therefore, Joseph must choose, in his way of thinking, between divorcing Mary quietly or having her stoned to death as his legal right under Jewish law of not coming to the marriage pure. At least in normal circumstances this would be legal, but these are not normal circumstances.  You may have heard or read the tale of Christmas so many times that maybe you never really…

December 3: Luke 2:1-5 NLT In the United States a census is taken every ten years to provide equitable representation in the U.S. congress and state governments. The census was not to be a burden on anyone. I can remember when a census taker came to my family’s home to get an accurate count of the household. Today a form can be filled out online. This was not the case at the time of Jesus’ birth. A census was a hardship, as people were required to journey back to their ancestral town or city. There could be problems along the way, such as robbers and weather issues. Also,…

December 2: Read Luke2:19; 41-51 NLT As a mother, I often wonder how Mary could so gracefully journey this road the Lord has led her on. While her physical journey to motherhood and the journey to Bethlehem as a nine-month pregnant woman must have had their challenges, what I wonder more about is her spiritual journey. For nine months, did she ponder the words of the angel? Did she try to break them apart and decipher the future meaning of them? Did she struggle with the words of God as she thought about the potential future for her child? The Bible doesn’t record much about Jesus’ childhood and…

December 1: Read Luke 1:26-38 NLT  For a Christian to hear the name “Mary” recalls this wonderful person whom God chose to bring His son into the world. There have been all kinds of words spoken and written about Mary, as well as many images created of her. Mary’s reaction to the angel’s message sets an example that we should follow. Perhaps it is the most important response anyone can give God. The same angel, Gabriel, who appeared to Zechariah, also appeared to Mary. After hearing the message, Mary responds, ‘How can this happen? I am a virgin.’ Unlike Zechariah, who, despite being a priest, doubted God’s message,…

November 30: Read Luke 1:5-7; 23-25 Elizabeth’s personal journey of pain and loss is not the first we have heard in the biblical story. In the first chapter of the book of Samuel, we read a similar story. Hannah was ashamed by not having conceived a child, so she prayed to the Lord to give her a son. In return, she would dedicate him to the Lord’s service. God answered that prayer, and Samuel, one of the great prophets, was born. The Lord is about to show up in Elizabeth’s journey too! What seemed impossible and hopeless to Elizabeth, was possible and hope-filled to God. God would meet…

One day, while performing his priestly duty of burning incense at the altar in the temple, an angel of the Lord appeared to Zechariah and delivered some good news that Elizabeth would bring forth a son and he would be named John.