December 22, 2019

Breaking Open the Scripture Scriptures for December 22nd: Isaiah 7:10-16, Psalm 80:1-7, 17-19, Romans 1:1-7, Matthew 1:18-25; Theme: Fourth Sunday of Advent Matthew: We only hear of the story of Jesus birth in the book of Matthew. As we get closer to Christmas, we hear the telling of that story in each of our scriptures. Matthew focuses on the role of the father in this story. Joseph has a lot of thinking to do about his role. Mary has announced that she is pregnant, but they are not even married yet. By every right, Joseph has the right to divorce her and to move on. But just as an angel comes to Mary, an angel comes to Joseph in a dream and tells him what to do. Joseph understands that he is a critical part of the story – he takes care of Mary and the baby in the coming days. He understands that God has a plan, and it will come to pass with the birth of this baby. Isaiah: The people of Israel were looking for a change. They were looking for something to have hope in. Isaiah tells the story of the birth of a baby, as that child grows, change will become evident. This story has some striking differences from the Matthew story. First, the woman who gives birth is a young woman, but not necessarily a virgin. The child is not the messiah, but someone who serves God. Isaiah says the baby should be called Immanuel, Matthew says Emmanuel – both mean God with us. Both stories remind us that God is with us, and that God is always our salvation. Both are stories of hope and celebration for the signs in our lives that God cares about us, and always sends a person to make a difference. Questions: What signs are present in your life of God’s presence? What children are present in your lives that give you hope for the future? What role do father’s play in teaching children to have faith? Have angels ever spoke to you in a dream? Did you follow what the dream told you to do?