Psalm 75:1 We praise You, God, we praise you, for Your Name is near; people tell of Your wonderful deeds.
Joseph was a regular guy. He was excited about his upcoming marriage. He’d thought about that for a long time. He’d thought about Mary. But then he found out that she was pregnant. He was confused, concerned, and conflicted. What in the world should he do? He went to sleep that night uneasy. But he had a dream. A dream with an angel. It’s very possible he had dreamed of angels before. But this was different, not because the angel spoke to him, but because the angel spoke Scripture to him. Joseph would have been familiar with the verse the angel quoted.
Matthew 1:23 “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).
Joseph might well have wondered before what Isaiah (the original source, quoted by Matthew) could possibly have meant by that verse. But now the angel points out that he can see what it means. Mary is that one. That meant Mary was a virgin! What a load off his mind! But she would have a son that will be called Immanuel? God with us? Joseph couldn’t have known the fullness of all that would mean at that moment, but he chose to believe. He could have walked away convinced of his own justification for not believing. But he didn’t.
We too have a choice. For my part, I will choose to join with the Psalmist. I will praise God. His Name is near. He has come for us! He is Immanuel, God with us! Let us all join the crowd of people telling of His wonderful deeds!
Merry Christmas!
Blessings,
Pastor Russ
