Monday of the Fourth Week of Lent - March 19, 2012
Matthew 1:18 - 25
This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.
But after he had considered 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 home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”
All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).
When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife.
This Fourth Monday of Lent also happens to be the Feast Day of St. Joseph, the father of Jesus. It provides a brief interlude in the Lenten passages.
I notice Joseph's resolve to treat Mary with dignity in verse 19. "He had in mind to divorce her quietly." That may not sound compassionate in today's culture, but in his culture it was a sensitive response to the situation . . . not at all what a male typically would have done in that situation. In fact, his resolve to handle the matter quietly reflected his desire to do something God-like in how he approached the matter.
But what Joseph heard from God in the dream altered even his resolve.
It is significant that Joseph did not hold his first impression ("resolve") so tightly that he could not be open to another word from God. He was not locked into his first course of action, though it was how he had fixed his mind. Rather, he was able to adjust and do whatever was most appropriate in the moment. He held the entire situation loosely enough that he was freed to follow as God led.
He demonstrated a remarkably mature spirituality. First, he broke from accepted and common societal practice by not publicly shaming Mary.
Second, he did not hold his own resolve so firmly that it trumped the direction in which God led him. He held his first impressions open. Then, when he determined that the dream was from God, he changed his course of action.
His relationship with God was dynamic, open to change, and real.
For today . . . think about what you have planned for the next 24 hours. Are you open to change those plans if you should be impressed by God to do something else?
And what if you already have some impression about what God wants you to do today? Can you hold even those plans loosely and change direction if God's Spirit leads you to do so?
This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.
But after he had considered 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 home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”
All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).
When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife.
This Fourth Monday of Lent also happens to be the Feast Day of St. Joseph, the father of Jesus. It provides a brief interlude in the Lenten passages.
I notice Joseph's resolve to treat Mary with dignity in verse 19. "He had in mind to divorce her quietly." That may not sound compassionate in today's culture, but in his culture it was a sensitive response to the situation . . . not at all what a male typically would have done in that situation. In fact, his resolve to handle the matter quietly reflected his desire to do something God-like in how he approached the matter.
But what Joseph heard from God in the dream altered even his resolve.
It is significant that Joseph did not hold his first impression ("resolve") so tightly that he could not be open to another word from God. He was not locked into his first course of action, though it was how he had fixed his mind. Rather, he was able to adjust and do whatever was most appropriate in the moment. He held the entire situation loosely enough that he was freed to follow as God led.
He demonstrated a remarkably mature spirituality. First, he broke from accepted and common societal practice by not publicly shaming Mary.
Second, he did not hold his own resolve so firmly that it trumped the direction in which God led him. He held his first impressions open. Then, when he determined that the dream was from God, he changed his course of action.
His relationship with God was dynamic, open to change, and real.
For today . . . think about what you have planned for the next 24 hours. Are you open to change those plans if you should be impressed by God to do something else?
And what if you already have some impression about what God wants you to do today? Can you hold even those plans loosely and change direction if God's Spirit leads you to do so?
Comments
Post a Comment