Matthew 2:5-8
When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:
“‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for out of you will come a ruler
who will shepherd my people Israel.’”
Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”
I have said many times that I do not particularly like going to the dentist. I respect dentists a great deal and I am very glad there are people in our community who have dedicated their lives to dental care – but I just don’t care to visit them! I think it all stems from a traumatic experience with a dentist when I was a child – but that’s a story for a different time!
A number of years ago, when I finally decided I should probably have a check-up, the dentist asked me if I “ground my teeth at night?” I said, “I don’t know, why do you ask?” She said she could see dozens of tiny hairline fractures in my teeth – a sign of grinding. She then said that if I continued to grind my teeth without wearing a “night guard” those tiny cracks would grow and would eventually result in cracked teeth.
I told her I would think about it – but I didn’t purchase the night guard. About two weeks later I was eating a bowl of popcorn at home when I bit down on a kernel and one of my back molars cracked right in half and fell out of my mouth. I went back to my dentist and have worn a night guard ever since!
In a sense, my dentist was performing the role of a prophet in my life. Properly understood, prophecy isn’t so much about predicting the future – like a “palm reader” looking at your hand – but rather prophecy is about the truth of God. A prophet says, “This is what the Lord says…this is what the Lord will do.” My dentist saw the truth about my teeth – and simply told me what would happen if I failed to take action. She was right.
King Herod understood prophecy. He understood that the prophets spoke the truth of God and that God spoke his truth through the prophets. So when the foreigners tell him they are seeking the child born to be “King of the Jews” he decides to do a little research to check out their story.
When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:
“‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for out of you will come a ruler
who will shepherd my people Israel.’”
Now Herod’s really got a problem. Now he knows the truth about this child and he knows the truth about himself. And the truth is; the child is King and he is not. He has a problem bigger than competition for what he sees as his kingdom, his position and his power. He has a problem with truth. He has a problem with God.
Herod is like a guy standing on top of his house threatening to jump off because he doesn’t believe gravity applies to him. He’s like a kid sticking his hand in fire thinking he won’t get burned.
But gravity always pulls things to the ground and fire always burns. Truth is like that.
The truth is we all have a problem; you, me, Herod, everyone. Our problem is sin – as in dozens and dozens of nearly invisible cracks in our souls. Cracks called selfishness or greed or immorality; cracks that we try to hide, that we try to ignore, but cracks that grow and grow until they destroy us.
What Herod did not fully realize was that the child he saw as a competitor – the child he tried to kill – actually came to heal the cracks in his own crumbling soul. He should have known – because the truth is right there in the words of the prophet:
“…for out of you will come a ruler
who will shepherd my people Israel.”
The ruler, the shepherd the prophet is talking about is the Messiah – the one who would save his people from their sins. The Messiah came but Herod chose not to surrender to the truth.
Each Christmas, in a sense, Christ comes again into the very center of our culture. Truth that a “Savior is born” is proclaimed in our shopping malls and through loudspeakers on our street corners. May we hear the truth about this child and about ourselves – and may we surrender.
Pastor Brian Coffey
Tuesday, December 8
Matthew 2:1-8
After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”
When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him.
When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:
“‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for out of you will come a ruler
who will shepherd my people Israel.’”
Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”
Did you know that Christmas did not exist in Cuba between 1969 and 1997? Fidel Castro eliminated Christmas as a holiday in Cuba in 1969 because he claimed it interfered with the sugar harvest. Most believe the real reason was that he had officially declared Cuba to be an atheist nation in 1962 and, as dictator, he wanted to eliminate any threat to his control over the people.
So for almost 30 years Christmas did not exist in Cuba – at least not officially – although millions celebrated Christ’s birth secretly. Finally, in 1997, in preparation for a widely publicized visit of Pope John Paul II, Castro relented and allowed Christmas to be celebrated publicly in Cuba.
If it’s true that Castro both feared and resented Christmas, he’s not the first political leader to do so. Scripture tells us that when Magi (Wise Men) from the east came to Jerusalem seeking the child “born King of the Jews” that King Herod was “disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him.” He was disturbed because he was king and if the Magi were correct it meant that he had competition! All Jerusalem was disturbed because it was widely known that when King Herod was disturbed – it often meant that someone – and perhaps many – would soon die.
Historians tell us that Herod “the Great” – as he liked to be known - was so jealous and insecure about his position that he had a number of his own family members assassinated. Three of his sons and at least one of his ten wives were killed just so he would not feel threatened. There was a saying at the time that it was “safer to be Herod’s pig than his son.” The Jewish historian Josephus records that Herod was so concerned that no one would mourn his death that he commanded the arrest of a number of distinguished citizens with orders that they be executed at the moment of his death to ensure there would be weeping in Jerusalem when he died.
Make no mistake; when Herod said,
“Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”
He had no intention of worshiping Jesus!
Herod was an evil, cruel and profligate man, but he got one thing right. When confronted with a king there are only two options: worship that king or kill that king.
Far too often I think I am – and perhaps we are – guilty of wanting to have it both ways. We want to worship our King; that is, we want to worship and serve God; but we simultaneously want to kind of put him in the back seat while we drive the car. We offer our praise and worship on Saturday or Sunday – but from Monday through Friday it would be hard to distinguish our lives and values from the culture we live in.
The word “king” is an uncomfortable word. In fact, it’s more than just a word. It’s a title. It’s a title of absolute authority and power. It’s a word that inspires either awe and obedience or fear and hatred. There is no middle ground when it comes to a king. There is no middle ground when it comes to Jesus.
Every human being must make a choice regarding Jesus. Herod understood this and made his choice. Have you?
Pastor Brian Coffey
After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”
When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him.
When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:
“‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for out of you will come a ruler
who will shepherd my people Israel.’”
Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”
Did you know that Christmas did not exist in Cuba between 1969 and 1997? Fidel Castro eliminated Christmas as a holiday in Cuba in 1969 because he claimed it interfered with the sugar harvest. Most believe the real reason was that he had officially declared Cuba to be an atheist nation in 1962 and, as dictator, he wanted to eliminate any threat to his control over the people.
So for almost 30 years Christmas did not exist in Cuba – at least not officially – although millions celebrated Christ’s birth secretly. Finally, in 1997, in preparation for a widely publicized visit of Pope John Paul II, Castro relented and allowed Christmas to be celebrated publicly in Cuba.
If it’s true that Castro both feared and resented Christmas, he’s not the first political leader to do so. Scripture tells us that when Magi (Wise Men) from the east came to Jerusalem seeking the child “born King of the Jews” that King Herod was “disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him.” He was disturbed because he was king and if the Magi were correct it meant that he had competition! All Jerusalem was disturbed because it was widely known that when King Herod was disturbed – it often meant that someone – and perhaps many – would soon die.
Historians tell us that Herod “the Great” – as he liked to be known - was so jealous and insecure about his position that he had a number of his own family members assassinated. Three of his sons and at least one of his ten wives were killed just so he would not feel threatened. There was a saying at the time that it was “safer to be Herod’s pig than his son.” The Jewish historian Josephus records that Herod was so concerned that no one would mourn his death that he commanded the arrest of a number of distinguished citizens with orders that they be executed at the moment of his death to ensure there would be weeping in Jerusalem when he died.
Make no mistake; when Herod said,
“Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”
He had no intention of worshiping Jesus!
Herod was an evil, cruel and profligate man, but he got one thing right. When confronted with a king there are only two options: worship that king or kill that king.
Far too often I think I am – and perhaps we are – guilty of wanting to have it both ways. We want to worship our King; that is, we want to worship and serve God; but we simultaneously want to kind of put him in the back seat while we drive the car. We offer our praise and worship on Saturday or Sunday – but from Monday through Friday it would be hard to distinguish our lives and values from the culture we live in.
The word “king” is an uncomfortable word. In fact, it’s more than just a word. It’s a title. It’s a title of absolute authority and power. It’s a word that inspires either awe and obedience or fear and hatred. There is no middle ground when it comes to a king. There is no middle ground when it comes to Jesus.
Every human being must make a choice regarding Jesus. Herod understood this and made his choice. Have you?
Pastor Brian Coffey
Monday, December 7
Matthew 2:1-4
After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”
When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him.
Have you ever thought about Christmas as an interruption? It’s a wonderful interruption perhaps - a fun interruption, but an interruption nonetheless. As we have said several times, the word interruption comes from two Latin words that mean “to break into” – and it is true that Christmas breaks into our lives every year!
Starting on “Black Friday” – and even earlier – Christmas breaks into our lives – into our whole culture – with shopping, traffic, crowds, TV commercials, office parties and thousands of strands of tiny Christmas lights.
I have two jobs when it comes to Christmas decorating at our house. Job #1: I put up all the outside lights – basically on several trees and on the house itself. Job #2: I drag the artificial tree out of the basement and set it up in our family room with the help of at least one of my sons. My wife and our boys do most of the rest, but I take my two jobs very seriously. So every year on the day after Thanksgiving, I dig several black plastic garbage bags filled with Christmas lights out of our attic and get to work.
And every year the relatively simple process of putting lights on the three trees in our front yard and on the gutters across the front of our home is interrupted by any number of frustrating problems. First, no matter how carefully I coiled the strands of little white lights the previous Christmas – they manage somehow to get tangled up all by themselves and I have to take time untangling them before I can string them on the trees. Second, even though I test every strand to make sure the lights actually work before I put them up – inevitably there will be one strand or part of one strand that refuses to illuminate once displayed. Then I have to go to a local store – pick up a replacement set of lights – then climb up and actually replace the faulty light strand before my job is finished.
So even though the Christmas season is a fun and welcome interruption of our everyday lives, there are interruptions within the interruption that can cause frustration – and even anger!
We’ve already looked at the amazingly grace-filled responses of Mary and Joseph as God broke into their lives with the arrival of a child. This week we turn our attention to a figure who did not respond with such grace.
After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”
When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him.
Far from being excited or even joyful about the news of the birth of a new king, Herod was disturbed. Now “disturbed” is an interesting word. It carries a sense of being “troubled” – “anxious” – but an anxiety tinged with fear and anger. Why was Herod disturbed by this news? Herod knew he had acquired the throne and maintained his throne through shrewd political manipulation and that he was not loved by the people he ruled. In short, he feared that his falsely held kingdom would soon be interrupted by another – and more deserving – King!
As we begin to look at the ancient figure of King Herod, the question I have to ask myself – and that you might want to ask yourself is, “Who is king?” If I am honest with myself, I have to confess that I really like to be king! I like to pretend that I am in control; I like to think that I always know what’s best for me; I like to be the one calling the shots in my life. But the truth is, I’m a lousy king! How ‘bout you?
Christmas reminds me that I am not king, nor do I have to pretend to be. I have a King – a King who loves me and died for me - his name is Jesus.
Pastor Brian Coffey
After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”
When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him.
Have you ever thought about Christmas as an interruption? It’s a wonderful interruption perhaps - a fun interruption, but an interruption nonetheless. As we have said several times, the word interruption comes from two Latin words that mean “to break into” – and it is true that Christmas breaks into our lives every year!
Starting on “Black Friday” – and even earlier – Christmas breaks into our lives – into our whole culture – with shopping, traffic, crowds, TV commercials, office parties and thousands of strands of tiny Christmas lights.
I have two jobs when it comes to Christmas decorating at our house. Job #1: I put up all the outside lights – basically on several trees and on the house itself. Job #2: I drag the artificial tree out of the basement and set it up in our family room with the help of at least one of my sons. My wife and our boys do most of the rest, but I take my two jobs very seriously. So every year on the day after Thanksgiving, I dig several black plastic garbage bags filled with Christmas lights out of our attic and get to work.
And every year the relatively simple process of putting lights on the three trees in our front yard and on the gutters across the front of our home is interrupted by any number of frustrating problems. First, no matter how carefully I coiled the strands of little white lights the previous Christmas – they manage somehow to get tangled up all by themselves and I have to take time untangling them before I can string them on the trees. Second, even though I test every strand to make sure the lights actually work before I put them up – inevitably there will be one strand or part of one strand that refuses to illuminate once displayed. Then I have to go to a local store – pick up a replacement set of lights – then climb up and actually replace the faulty light strand before my job is finished.
So even though the Christmas season is a fun and welcome interruption of our everyday lives, there are interruptions within the interruption that can cause frustration – and even anger!
We’ve already looked at the amazingly grace-filled responses of Mary and Joseph as God broke into their lives with the arrival of a child. This week we turn our attention to a figure who did not respond with such grace.
After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”
When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him.
Far from being excited or even joyful about the news of the birth of a new king, Herod was disturbed. Now “disturbed” is an interesting word. It carries a sense of being “troubled” – “anxious” – but an anxiety tinged with fear and anger. Why was Herod disturbed by this news? Herod knew he had acquired the throne and maintained his throne through shrewd political manipulation and that he was not loved by the people he ruled. In short, he feared that his falsely held kingdom would soon be interrupted by another – and more deserving – King!
As we begin to look at the ancient figure of King Herod, the question I have to ask myself – and that you might want to ask yourself is, “Who is king?” If I am honest with myself, I have to confess that I really like to be king! I like to pretend that I am in control; I like to think that I always know what’s best for me; I like to be the one calling the shots in my life. But the truth is, I’m a lousy king! How ‘bout you?
Christmas reminds me that I am not king, nor do I have to pretend to be. I have a King – a King who loves me and died for me - his name is Jesus.
Pastor Brian Coffey
Friday, December 4
Matthew 2:13-15
When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.”
So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called my son.”
Have you ever found yourself annoyed by those messages that come across the radio or T.V. periodically to test something called the “emergency broadcast system”?
The program you are listening to or watching is suddenly interrupted by a kind of alarm – which is then followed by a voice that says something like, “We interrupt regularly scheduled programming for this test of the emergency broadcast system. This is only a test. If this were an actual emergency …” and the announcer goes on to describe what would happen and what you should do if, in fact, this had been an actual tornado, hurricane, terrorist attack or any of a multitude of other disasters.
Even though I know that it is necessary to run tests to make sure the system is working properly, I almost always find those to be a bit annoying. But when I stop to think about it, I should be deeply grateful for this warning system, because most of the time the great interruptions of our lives come without any warning at all!
A phone call late at night – there’s been an accident.
When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.”
So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called my son.”
Have you ever found yourself annoyed by those messages that come across the radio or T.V. periodically to test something called the “emergency broadcast system”?
The program you are listening to or watching is suddenly interrupted by a kind of alarm – which is then followed by a voice that says something like, “We interrupt regularly scheduled programming for this test of the emergency broadcast system. This is only a test. If this were an actual emergency …” and the announcer goes on to describe what would happen and what you should do if, in fact, this had been an actual tornado, hurricane, terrorist attack or any of a multitude of other disasters.
Even though I know that it is necessary to run tests to make sure the system is working properly, I almost always find those to be a bit annoying. But when I stop to think about it, I should be deeply grateful for this warning system, because most of the time the great interruptions of our lives come without any warning at all!
A phone call late at night – there’s been an accident.
A routine physical exam turns into a positive biopsy.
You arrive at work one day to find a pink slip on your desk.
You arrive at work one day to find a pink slip on your desk.
No radio or T.V. announcement; no alarm; just life interrupted without warning. That’s what happens here:
When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.”
Most scholars agree that at this point in the story a couple of years have actually passed since all the interruptions surrounding the child’s birth. Little Jesus is now likely a toddler and life has settled down for Mary and Joseph. People have stopped talking about the strange circumstances surrounding their engagement and wedding and Joseph is running his small carpenter’s shop while his little boy is playing with wooden blocks he made from pieces of scrap from his jobs.
Then, seemingly out of nowhere, another interruption!
“Get up!” the angel of the Lord says in the middle of the night. “Get up and go to Egypt, because Herod wants to kill your son.”
Can you imagine?
Maybe you can.
Maybe you have received that phone call in the middle of the night that brought bad news. Maybe you have faced that circumstance that you always prayed would never happen to you or to someone you love.
Notice what Joseph does.
So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt…
He didn’t argue with God. He didn’t ask God to please call him back in the morning. He didn’t plead with God for another destination – after all the Israelites didn’t have the best memories of their time in Egypt! He simply got up and did what God told him to do.
Joseph understood that obedience is like a simple “on/off” switch. You either obey or you don’t. You are either on or off. When it comes to obedience you can’t be somewhere in between! And because Joseph was so willing to obey – even in the middle of the night - God trusted him with the precious life of his own Son.
What can I learn from Joseph?
I can learn that interruptions are part of life; even more, that life can be understood as a series of interruptions. I can learn that God often does his best work in and through interruptions. And finally, I can check my “obedience switch” to make sure it is on!
Pastor Brian Coffey
When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.”
Most scholars agree that at this point in the story a couple of years have actually passed since all the interruptions surrounding the child’s birth. Little Jesus is now likely a toddler and life has settled down for Mary and Joseph. People have stopped talking about the strange circumstances surrounding their engagement and wedding and Joseph is running his small carpenter’s shop while his little boy is playing with wooden blocks he made from pieces of scrap from his jobs.
Then, seemingly out of nowhere, another interruption!
“Get up!” the angel of the Lord says in the middle of the night. “Get up and go to Egypt, because Herod wants to kill your son.”
Can you imagine?
Maybe you can.
Maybe you have received that phone call in the middle of the night that brought bad news. Maybe you have faced that circumstance that you always prayed would never happen to you or to someone you love.
Notice what Joseph does.
So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt…
He didn’t argue with God. He didn’t ask God to please call him back in the morning. He didn’t plead with God for another destination – after all the Israelites didn’t have the best memories of their time in Egypt! He simply got up and did what God told him to do.
Joseph understood that obedience is like a simple “on/off” switch. You either obey or you don’t. You are either on or off. When it comes to obedience you can’t be somewhere in between! And because Joseph was so willing to obey – even in the middle of the night - God trusted him with the precious life of his own Son.
What can I learn from Joseph?
I can learn that interruptions are part of life; even more, that life can be understood as a series of interruptions. I can learn that God often does his best work in and through interruptions. And finally, I can check my “obedience switch” to make sure it is on!
Pastor Brian Coffey
Thursday, December 3
Matthew 1:20-25
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 will 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 be with child and will 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. But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.
My father began preaching in churches when he was only 17 years old. Shortly after beginning his pastoral ministry – when he was about 19 - he was called upon to conduct his first wedding in a small rural church in Iowa. He recalls being very nervous as he was younger than both the bride and groom and he began the service with the traditional challenge to the gathered guests:
“If any of you has a reason why these two should not be married, speak now or forever hold your peace.”
At that moment, as he tells the story, the wedding was interrupted when mother of the bride began to shriek from her place in the front of the small church. She shrieked and then went completely rigid and fell over in the pew. My father grabbed the bride’s hand and said, “Gladys, just stand here,” but beyond that he had no idea what to do. Was that technically an objection to the wedding? Should he continue? Could he continue? What was happening?
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 will 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 be with child and will 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. But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.
My father began preaching in churches when he was only 17 years old. Shortly after beginning his pastoral ministry – when he was about 19 - he was called upon to conduct his first wedding in a small rural church in Iowa. He recalls being very nervous as he was younger than both the bride and groom and he began the service with the traditional challenge to the gathered guests:
“If any of you has a reason why these two should not be married, speak now or forever hold your peace.”
At that moment, as he tells the story, the wedding was interrupted when mother of the bride began to shriek from her place in the front of the small church. She shrieked and then went completely rigid and fell over in the pew. My father grabbed the bride’s hand and said, “Gladys, just stand here,” but beyond that he had no idea what to do. Was that technically an objection to the wedding? Should he continue? Could he continue? What was happening?
Fortunately, within a few moments several of the woman’s friends rushed to take care of the woman, who evidently had a history of small seizures during times of emotional stress or excitement. They simply carried her out and laid her down on the church lawn until she recovered and the wedding went on as planned!
At this point in the story of Jesus’ birth, nothing has gone as planned for Joseph! His engagement has been interrupted. His plans for a wife and family have been interrupted. His very life has been interrupted because God has chosen to break into the world – to break into his world!
God then tells Joseph not to get rid of Mary quietly, as he had been planning to do, but rather to take her home as his wife! Furthermore, God goes on to tell Joseph what the child’s name should be and what vocation has already been divinely ordained for the Son that he doesn’t even know yet!
I think, if I were Joseph, right about now I would call a “TIME OUT!”
At this point in the story of Jesus’ birth, nothing has gone as planned for Joseph! His engagement has been interrupted. His plans for a wife and family have been interrupted. His very life has been interrupted because God has chosen to break into the world – to break into his world!
God then tells Joseph not to get rid of Mary quietly, as he had been planning to do, but rather to take her home as his wife! Furthermore, God goes on to tell Joseph what the child’s name should be and what vocation has already been divinely ordained for the Son that he doesn’t even know yet!
I think, if I were Joseph, right about now I would call a “TIME OUT!”
“Just hold on a second God! Can I remind you that I didn’t ask for any of this? All I ever wanted was a wife and a nice family and a quiet life. I’ve worshiped and served you all my life – and I’ve never asked for much. And now you drop THIS on me! My fiancé is expecting a child through the Holy Spirit?! How am I supposed to understand that? Then you say I should go ahead and take Mary home as my wife – who knows what people are going to say? And, then, even if I agree to all of that, you even tell me what to name the child!”
I think that might be where I would have drawn the line! I think I would have been tempted to blurt out:
“Is it too much to ask to be allowed to come up with my own name for the child? I mean, I have always thought “Joey” was kind of a nice place to start! Do I have a say in any of this God?”
But notice how Joseph responds:
When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.
Not only did Joseph obey God by taking Mary as his wife and naming the child “Jesus,” but he “had no union with her until she gave birth to a son.”
I’ve never heard a sermon (nor delivered one) about this part of the story – for obvious reasons! But Joseph voluntarily gave up his right and privilege as a married man so that both he and his wife could know for sure that this child was who the angel had said he was.
So what can I learn from this man Joseph?
I can learn that interruptions sometimes come from God. I can learn that I won’t always understand what God is doing. I can learn that obedience comes from trust. And I can learn that sacrifice is always part of love.
Pastor Brian Coffey
I think that might be where I would have drawn the line! I think I would have been tempted to blurt out:
“Is it too much to ask to be allowed to come up with my own name for the child? I mean, I have always thought “Joey” was kind of a nice place to start! Do I have a say in any of this God?”
But notice how Joseph responds:
When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.
Not only did Joseph obey God by taking Mary as his wife and naming the child “Jesus,” but he “had no union with her until she gave birth to a son.”
I’ve never heard a sermon (nor delivered one) about this part of the story – for obvious reasons! But Joseph voluntarily gave up his right and privilege as a married man so that both he and his wife could know for sure that this child was who the angel had said he was.
So what can I learn from this man Joseph?
I can learn that interruptions sometimes come from God. I can learn that I won’t always understand what God is doing. I can learn that obedience comes from trust. And I can learn that sacrifice is always part of love.
Pastor Brian Coffey
Wednesday, December 2
Matthew 1:20-25
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 will 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 be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” – which means, “God with us.”
When one of our sons was little – about 5 or 6 years old – he didn’t like to go into empty parts of our home when he was alone. If we were all in the family room, for example, and he needed to go down into the basement to get a toy, he would walk over and stand at the top of the stairs and just stand there until one of us noticed. When we told him to go ahead down the stairs he would say, “I’m scary Daddy,” and then either his Mom or I would walk with him down the stairs as he retrieved the toy. Each time this happened we would encourage him by telling him he could learn to do it all by himself – that there was nothing in the basement to be afraid of – that he could turn on the light and go to the basement all by himself. Over time, he eventually got to the place where I would just need go about half way down the stairs with him – and then just to stand on the first step – and with that he could muster the courage to go the rest of the way on his own. He’s now 18 and no longer needs us to be with him as he goes up and down the stairs!
I have often remembered those days with our young son when I think about the phrase, “God with us.” My little boy just needed to know someone was there – he needed to feel my presence with him.
Matthew writes:
All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” – which means, “God with us.”
In a way, I think, we are all like my young son. The world is full of scary things, scary places and scary events - and we can feel like we are all alone. And I think Joseph had to feel something like that as he tried to decide what to do with his ruined engagement and marriage.
Then, as he tossed and turned on his bed, he had a dream that was more than a dream. It was a message; a message from God that told him he was not alone; a message that told him not to be afraid; a message that told him what he should do and why; a message that told him that God was with him – even in this unthinkable and unimaginable situation!
When Joseph woke up I don’t think he necessarily understood all that was happening to him – how could he? But I do think he knew that God was with him. And because he knew God was with him, he was no longer afraid of what was happening to him – or to do what God was asking him to do.
Are you facing a scary situation in your life? If so – and sooner or later we all do – remember that the promise of God through the prophet is also for you:
“The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” – which means, “God with us.”
Pastor Brian Coffey
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 will 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 be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” – which means, “God with us.”
When one of our sons was little – about 5 or 6 years old – he didn’t like to go into empty parts of our home when he was alone. If we were all in the family room, for example, and he needed to go down into the basement to get a toy, he would walk over and stand at the top of the stairs and just stand there until one of us noticed. When we told him to go ahead down the stairs he would say, “I’m scary Daddy,” and then either his Mom or I would walk with him down the stairs as he retrieved the toy. Each time this happened we would encourage him by telling him he could learn to do it all by himself – that there was nothing in the basement to be afraid of – that he could turn on the light and go to the basement all by himself. Over time, he eventually got to the place where I would just need go about half way down the stairs with him – and then just to stand on the first step – and with that he could muster the courage to go the rest of the way on his own. He’s now 18 and no longer needs us to be with him as he goes up and down the stairs!
I have often remembered those days with our young son when I think about the phrase, “God with us.” My little boy just needed to know someone was there – he needed to feel my presence with him.
Matthew writes:
All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” – which means, “God with us.”
In a way, I think, we are all like my young son. The world is full of scary things, scary places and scary events - and we can feel like we are all alone. And I think Joseph had to feel something like that as he tried to decide what to do with his ruined engagement and marriage.
Then, as he tossed and turned on his bed, he had a dream that was more than a dream. It was a message; a message from God that told him he was not alone; a message that told him not to be afraid; a message that told him what he should do and why; a message that told him that God was with him – even in this unthinkable and unimaginable situation!
When Joseph woke up I don’t think he necessarily understood all that was happening to him – how could he? But I do think he knew that God was with him. And because he knew God was with him, he was no longer afraid of what was happening to him – or to do what God was asking him to do.
Are you facing a scary situation in your life? If so – and sooner or later we all do – remember that the promise of God through the prophet is also for you:
“The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” – which means, “God with us.”
Pastor Brian Coffey
Tuesday, December 1
Matthew 1:18-19
This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about. His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child 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.
Several years ago I was watching a Bulls game on T.V., when during a break in the action a young man proposed to a young lady. It was one of those situations where they guy had arranged to have a message put on the jumbo-tron scoreboard so that 20,000 people could share in the moment. He coaxed his unknowing girlfriend to leave their seats and walk to the edge of the court. And there, in full view of the crowd and those watching on T.V., he got down on his knee and offered her what looked to be a ring in box. She stared at the ring for a long and somewhat uncomfortable moment, then shook her head ever so slightly, threw her hands over her face, turned and ran back into the crowd. Evidently, she had turned him down!
As the crowd sat in awkward silence, the poor guy stood up and shrugged with his palms up as if to say, “Well, what are you going to do?”
I remember thinking two things: First, if you are going to propose in front of 20,000 people and more on T.V. – make sure you know what she is going to say! And second, I remember feeling sorry for the guy – because what should have been one of the happiest moments of his life had gone horribly wrong.
Essentially, that’s what happens to Joseph in this story! Before he even has a chance to celebrate his marriage with a honeymoon, his fiancé is found to be “with child.” How could this have happened? He knows that he is not the father so he can only make one assumption: Mary has been unfaithful to him. He’s hurt; he’s angry, he’s confused; he’s humiliated. Soon the whole town will know. People will talk. What will he do? What can he do? What would you have done, if you had been in Joseph’s shoes? Look at what Joseph does:
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.
To be honest, I don’t know if I could have done it. I don’t know if I could have handled such disappointment without at least some desire to protect myself, my reputation or my dignity. I think I may have been more concerned about what my family and friends thought of me than how they treated my ex-fiance who was pregnant with a baby that wasn’t mine. But not Joseph. Notice that his concern is not for himself, but for Mary. He wants to protect her, not himself. Despite this bitter interruption of his hopes and dreams, he acts with both righteousness and grace.
As I think about Joseph’s response, I can’t help but think about the words John used to describe the child that would grow up in Joseph’s home:
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14
Grace and truth. I think those two words describe Joseph’s own response to the great interruption of his life. And I think Joseph’s willingness to respond with both grace and truth is why God chose this man to be the earthly father of His own Son!
How do you respond to the interruptions of your life?
How do I sometimes respond to interruptions?
Frustration? Check.
Impatience? Check.
Anger? Check.
Why? Because – duh - my plans are interrupted! Because I can’t do what I want to do when I want to do it. And because I think I know what’s best for me all the time – interruptions are frustrating!
But what if the interruption is from God? What if the interruption that I see as annoying is actually God breaking into my life with an opportunity to see him, experience him, know him in a different way than ever before? What if the interruption is actually God at work?
May I – may we – increasingly learn to respond to the interruptions of life with both grace and truth so that we may allow God to do his work in and through us!
Pastor Brian Coffey
This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about. His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child 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.
Several years ago I was watching a Bulls game on T.V., when during a break in the action a young man proposed to a young lady. It was one of those situations where they guy had arranged to have a message put on the jumbo-tron scoreboard so that 20,000 people could share in the moment. He coaxed his unknowing girlfriend to leave their seats and walk to the edge of the court. And there, in full view of the crowd and those watching on T.V., he got down on his knee and offered her what looked to be a ring in box. She stared at the ring for a long and somewhat uncomfortable moment, then shook her head ever so slightly, threw her hands over her face, turned and ran back into the crowd. Evidently, she had turned him down!
As the crowd sat in awkward silence, the poor guy stood up and shrugged with his palms up as if to say, “Well, what are you going to do?”
I remember thinking two things: First, if you are going to propose in front of 20,000 people and more on T.V. – make sure you know what she is going to say! And second, I remember feeling sorry for the guy – because what should have been one of the happiest moments of his life had gone horribly wrong.
Essentially, that’s what happens to Joseph in this story! Before he even has a chance to celebrate his marriage with a honeymoon, his fiancé is found to be “with child.” How could this have happened? He knows that he is not the father so he can only make one assumption: Mary has been unfaithful to him. He’s hurt; he’s angry, he’s confused; he’s humiliated. Soon the whole town will know. People will talk. What will he do? What can he do? What would you have done, if you had been in Joseph’s shoes? Look at what Joseph does:
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.
To be honest, I don’t know if I could have done it. I don’t know if I could have handled such disappointment without at least some desire to protect myself, my reputation or my dignity. I think I may have been more concerned about what my family and friends thought of me than how they treated my ex-fiance who was pregnant with a baby that wasn’t mine. But not Joseph. Notice that his concern is not for himself, but for Mary. He wants to protect her, not himself. Despite this bitter interruption of his hopes and dreams, he acts with both righteousness and grace.
As I think about Joseph’s response, I can’t help but think about the words John used to describe the child that would grow up in Joseph’s home:
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14
Grace and truth. I think those two words describe Joseph’s own response to the great interruption of his life. And I think Joseph’s willingness to respond with both grace and truth is why God chose this man to be the earthly father of His own Son!
How do you respond to the interruptions of your life?
How do I sometimes respond to interruptions?
Frustration? Check.
Impatience? Check.
Anger? Check.
Why? Because – duh - my plans are interrupted! Because I can’t do what I want to do when I want to do it. And because I think I know what’s best for me all the time – interruptions are frustrating!
But what if the interruption is from God? What if the interruption that I see as annoying is actually God breaking into my life with an opportunity to see him, experience him, know him in a different way than ever before? What if the interruption is actually God at work?
May I – may we – increasingly learn to respond to the interruptions of life with both grace and truth so that we may allow God to do his work in and through us!
Pastor Brian Coffey
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