Joseph #adventbookclub

•December 11, 2014 • 1 Comment

 

Matthew 1:18-24 (CEV)

The Birth of Jesus

18 This is how Jesus Christ was born. A young woman named Mary was engaged to Joseph from King David’s family. But before they were married, she learned that she was going to have a baby by God’s Holy Spirit. 19 Joseph was a good man and did not want to embarrass Mary in front of everyone. So he decided to quietly call off the wedding.

20 While Joseph was thinking about this, an angel from the Lord came to him in a dream. The angel said, “Joseph, the baby that Mary will have is from the Holy Spirit. Go ahead and marry her. 21 Then after her baby is born, name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

22 So the Lord’s promise came true, just as the prophet had said, 23 “A virgin will have a baby boy, and he will be called Immanuel,” which means “God is with us.”

24 After Joseph woke up, he and Mary were soon married, just as the Lord’s angel had told him to do.

How has this happened?  How can it be?  I thought Mary was a good ‘un.  But a baby?!?  Well I know for a fact it’s not mine.

What can I do?  I don’t want to cause the poor girl any more embarrassment, she’ll suffer enough as it is.  People pointing, whispering, wondering…

Then this dream, well not exactly a dream.  It seemed to be God, speaking, very clearly.  He explained it all.  Well I think he did.  Though I’m not sure I’m any clearer.

But I’m sure it’s of God.

Lord,
sometimes you surprise me,
with what you ask of me,
and the path my life takes.

I don’t always understand,
can’t see where we’re going,
and when you tell me,
I don’t always get it.

Help me to trust,
to hold tight,
to walk with you,
who never lets me down.

 


Join us reading Walking Backwards to Christmas by Stephen Cottrell from SPCK Publishing this advent.  Be part of #adventbookclub, share your thoughts here, on your own blog (and let us know we’ll link to it), on Twitter using #adventbookclub or on the Adventbookclub Facebook page

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Martha iii #adventbookclub

•December 10, 2014 • 2 Comments

Luke 2:1-7 (CEV)

The Birth of Jesus

2 About that time Emperor Augustus gave orders for the names of all the people to be listed in record books.2 These first records were made when Quirinius was governor of Syria.

3 Everyone had to go to their own hometown to be listed.4 So Joseph had to leave Nazareth in Galilee and go to Bethlehem in Judea. Long ago Bethlehem had been King David’s hometown, and Joseph went there because he was from David’s family.

5 Mary was engaged to Joseph and travelled with him to Bethlehem. She was soon going to have a baby, 6 and while they were there, 7 she gave birth to her first-born son. She dressed him in baby clothes and laid him on a bed of hay, because there was no room for them in the inn.

If you were thinking of the ideal place for God’s son to be born, where would you choose?  A palace – we already know there were those who thought that!  A place of wealth, with many attendants?  At least somewhere clean and healthy away from danger surely?

But that was not how it worked out.  Martha’s tale reminds us vividly of the mess and the filth that would have been his place.  Oh and the smell!  To me, it’s important that God chose to be born there.  For that is real, gritty life.  And that is what God is about.

Not for you Lord,
the clean,
safe,
sterile environment
for your coming to birth.

Not the kind of place I would have chosen,
but a real place,
of life
and mess.

Forgive me
when I try and sanitise your message,
keep you clean,
set you apart.

Thank you that you come,
not to some ‘perfect’ construct
of my imagining,
but to reality.

That you are not a God
of the pristine and set apart,
but to where life is ,
however dirty,
disorganised,
or inconvenient
– you are there. 

Join us reading Walking Backwards to Christmas by Stephen Cottrell from SPCK Publishing this advent.  Be part of #adventbookclub, share your thoughts here, on your own blog (and let us know we’ll link to it), on Twitter using #adventbookclub or on the Adventbookclub Facebook page

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Martha ii #adventbookclub

•December 9, 2014 • Leave a Comment

Luke 2:1-7 (CEV)

The Birth of Jesus

2 About that time Emperor Augustus gave orders for the names of all the people to be listed in record books.2 These first records were made when Quirinius was governor of Syria.

3 Everyone had to go to their own hometown to be listed.4 So Joseph had to leave Nazareth in Galilee and go to Bethlehem in Judea. Long ago Bethlehem had been King David’s hometown, and Joseph went there because he was from David’s family.

5 Mary was engaged to Joseph and travelled with him to Bethlehem. She was soon going to have a baby, 6 and while they were there, 7 she gave birth to her first-born son. She dressed him in baby clothes and laid him on a bed of hay, because there was no room for them in the inn. 

Martha’s story reminds me that the coming of Jesus disturbed lives. People who thought their lives were sorted, going along nicely; those who thought their lives were full already. People whose lives were just going along – and then Jesus burst into them – and nothing  was ever quite the same again.

People open their hearts and lives to God.  And he comes.  Changes priorities, opportunities presented, new life born, hope re-kindled.

And with that welcoming of God, comes a whole rush of other people to welcome too…

Lord,
your coming
changes everything.

I thought life was ok,
but then you burst into it.
And everything is somehow different,
even when it appears the same.

You have brought your life,
your hope,
your presence.

As I welcome you
may I make room,
and allow you to have an impact
on what you find there.

 

Join us reading Walking Backwards to Christmas by Stephen Cottrell from SPCK Publishing this advent.  Be part of #adventbookclub, share your thoughts here, on your own blog (and let us know we’ll link to it), on Twitter using #adventbookclub or on the Adventbookclub Facebook page

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