Coming to the Still Waters

  This is a picture of a well near Nazareth, the town that Joseph and Mary came from and also the town they ultimately returned to with the baby Jesus.  It has been our journey this Advent season to experience Christmas through the eyes of the gospel writer Matthew.  I want to share a few things I will take away from this deep dive into Matthew chapters 1 and 2.   First - the first recording below is just part of the message on Christmas Eve.  We had some audio problems on this sermon called "The Dark Side Of Christmas" which covered Matthew 2:13-18.  Thankfully the second recording includes some recap of the Christmas Eve material on a Christmas Day service covering Matthew 2:19-23. Here is my list. Matthew wanted his Jewish readers to see Jesus as their King who had come.  1) He shows Jesus not only of the kingly line of David in the genealogy but also the fulfiller of the blessing to the nations tied to Abraham.  2) Matthew identifies Jose...

  Matthew starts out his gospel with Jesus' genealogy that includes some of the different nations indicated by selected names included and he ends his gospel with, " Go therefore and makes disciples of all nations. "(Matthew 28:18)  Matthew starts out his gospel with Jesus being called Immanuel meaning " God with us " and he ends his gospel with " And lo I will be with you always even to the end of the age. " (Matthew 28:20)  Matthew starts out his gospel with all of Jerusalem stirred by the magi's question " Where is He who is born King of the Jews? " (Matthew 2:2) and he ends his gospel with a Palm Sunday entry of Jesus on a donkey and all of Jerusalem stirred asking " Who is this Man? " (Matthew 21:10)   A revealing genealogy ,  (Matthew 1:1-17) a general man (Joseph),  (Matthew 1:18-25) giving worshippers (the magi),  (Matthew 2:1-12) an infant genocide ,  (Matthew 2:13-18) and a Galilean  destination.  (Matthew 2:19-23) T...

  Joseph was a righteous man, a man who observed divine laws, and it is evident by his decision to put Mary away secretly by a certificate of divorce rather than the more harsher punishment for being unfaithful to him during the betrothal period.  Joseph's plan was following what God's word said to do. Joseph has a dream with instruction from an angel.  Angels carry the words of God and so God is instructing Joseph to alter his plan based on God's word to follow God's plan also found in His word.   Joseph is to take Mary physically as his wife in the condition she is in (v.20, 24); Joseph is to call the Child within her by the name of Jesus, meaning God is salvation (v.21, 25); and Joseph is to fulfill the scripture, Isaiah 7:14, that she would be a virgin bringing forth this Child, by keeping her a virgin until the Child is born (v.22, 25).  From " take " to " took ;" from " call " to " called ;" and from " fulfill " to...