Morning Devotion for Friday 13th
The Birthplace of Jesus
Cashel
Today we will travel to Bethlehem where Jesus was born.
We read in Matthew 2:13
An angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. "Get up," said, "Take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt."
Dave Veerman writes:
A small incident in the Christmas story, usually overlooked and seldom portrayed in church pageants, looms large in the salvation narrative. Occurring immediately after what often is presented as the climax of the story—the visit of the Magi—Joseph has another nighttime encounter with an angel. This time, God's messenger tells him to flee with his family to Egypt. They had just entertained Eastern celebrities bearing fabulous gifts for their child-king. Now, abruptly, they are to run for their lives. And the destination—Egypt.
The phrase "out of Egypt" appears in nearly 150 biblical texts. This ancient enemy symbolized oppression and slavery, and often God's people would recall that the Lord had freed them and delivered them from that place. Yet God says, "Go to Egypt." What is Joseph thinking and feeling? His first encounter with an angel announced a "virgin" birth. Then, the baby, born in a stable, was visited by shepherds and kings. And now, this!
We don't know Joseph's thoughts, but we do know his actions. He obeyed. And Jesus escaped Herod's murderous wrath. And we celebrate Christmas. "But," we protest, "we'd obey too if we knew God was talking!" Really? He speaks to us daily, but do we listen? Unlike Joseph, we have God's written Word, filled with direction and instruction. May we, with Joseph-like faith, obey and get moving.
The Birthplace of Jesus
Cashel
Today we will travel to Bethlehem where Jesus was born.
We read in Matthew 2:13
An angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. "Get up," said, "Take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt."
Dave Veerman writes:
A small incident in the Christmas story, usually overlooked and seldom portrayed in church pageants, looms large in the salvation narrative. Occurring immediately after what often is presented as the climax of the story—the visit of the Magi—Joseph has another nighttime encounter with an angel. This time, God's messenger tells him to flee with his family to Egypt. They had just entertained Eastern celebrities bearing fabulous gifts for their child-king. Now, abruptly, they are to run for their lives. And the destination—Egypt.
The phrase "out of Egypt" appears in nearly 150 biblical texts. This ancient enemy symbolized oppression and slavery, and often God's people would recall that the Lord had freed them and delivered them from that place. Yet God says, "Go to Egypt." What is Joseph thinking and feeling? His first encounter with an angel announced a "virgin" birth. Then, the baby, born in a stable, was visited by shepherds and kings. And now, this!
We don't know Joseph's thoughts, but we do know his actions. He obeyed. And Jesus escaped Herod's murderous wrath. And we celebrate Christmas. "But," we protest, "we'd obey too if we knew God was talking!" Really? He speaks to us daily, but do we listen? Unlike Joseph, we have God's written Word, filled with direction and instruction. May we, with Joseph-like faith, obey and get moving.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless 4G LTE smartphone
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