Advent | Week 4
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Matthew 1:18-25
18 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. 19 Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.
20 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. 21 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.”
22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).
24 When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. 25 But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.
Visio Divina
What draws my attention?
How would I describe the painting in one or two words? And,
If you were in the image, where would you be?
Philip Yancey (Malcolm Muggeridge) -
“It is a point of fact, extremely improbable, under existing conditions, that Jesus would have been permitted to be born at all. Mary’s pregnancy, in poor circumstances, and with the father unknown, would have been an obvious case for an abortion; and her talk of having conceived as a result of the intervention of the Holy Ghost would have pointed to the need of psychiatric treatment, and made the case for terminating her pregnancy even stronger. Thus our generation, needing a Savior more, perhaps, than any that has ever existed, would be too humane to allow one to be born.”
Matthew 1:19 - 19 Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.
Matthew 1:20 - 20 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.
Matthew 1:20 (NRSV) - 20 But just when he had resolved to do this…
“Joseph son of David, do not be afraid.”
Mattew 1:21 - She (Mary) will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.
Genesis 3:14-15 (MSG) -
God told the serpent:
“Because you’ve done this, you’re cursed,
cursed beyond all cattle and wild animals,
Cursed to slink on your belly
and eat dirt all your life.
I’m declaring war between you and the (seed of the) Woman,
between your offspring and hers.
He’ll wound your head,
you’ll wound his heel.”
Jon Tsyson - There is a relentless pressure to live public lives. Lives that are seen, lives of high visibility, lives that are applauded. We all know the psychology of "likes" on social media, but it can be a real challenge to break free from them…Public praise verses private affirmation. This is one of the keys to the kingdom.
Matthew 1:24-25 - 24 When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. 25 But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.
Jon Tyson - The public place may make us feel significant, but it’s rarely where we are formed. In fact, the public place reveals our formation. The reason so many people have public failures is because they have private deficits. They haven’t built secret reserves to handle the weight of public life. They collapse under the weight of influence, because they don’t have a foundation of character to sustain it.
A Hidden Life - "Do you imagine that anything you do will change the course of this war? That anyone outside this court will ever hear of you? No one will be changed. The world will go on as before. You'll vanish."
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Each Sunday we come together we offer an open invitation into the way of Jesus. An invitation to enter into sacred rhythms - to draw near to God through singing, giving, learning, and praying.
As a community that desires renewal in Des Moines as it is in Heaven, we recognize that we cannot offer what we ourselves do not have. We cannot lead where we ourselves have not been led; in turn, these questions aim at reflection. Reflecting on God’s word and making space for his leadership.
After watching or listening consider the following discussion questions as a large group or in groups of three to four:
What stood out from the teaching?
