Today I went to church. I was glad to be in the house of the Lord. I was glad to hear the word that God would use to speak to me and with great expectations I was not disappointed. Pastor Jamie picked up the story from Matthew 2. Mary and Joseph had just had a baby boy, Jesus, the Saviour. It was not in a time of comfort and joy, but in the days of King Herod. A king, I learned who was a "bad dude". he reigned terror upon his subjects. His heart was not for God and he killed ruthlessly as his will demanded. This was the time in which the Price of Peace was born; a Saviour was born unto us this day.
The news of his birth caused Herod to be greatly distressed and all of Jerusalem with him. Pastor asked the question that I didn't think of: why would all of Jerusalem be distressed as well? Simple, if Herod was distressed then he would make everyone else around him feel his displeasure. They were right to feel as they did, because many lives were lost because Jesus was born. It was at that time that all the sons of the Jews, ages 2 and under were killed. This was the time the life giver was born; a Saviour was born unto us this day.
As the message continued, Pastor Jaime spoke about Joseph. Have you ever given much thought to Mary's husband, Joseph? I know I haven't. The bible says that he was a good man. His fiancé was pregnant and he "...was a good man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement quietly." (Matt 1:19). We know that he was visited by angels on separate occasions. The first time, "...an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream.... "do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife." (Matt 1:20). Matthew again records in chapter 2 "After the wise men were gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. "Get up!" Flee to Egypt." On both those times Joseph did what he was told. He didn't argue, but he did exactly as instructed despite the immediate cost.
Think about it. He was not married to Mary, and everyone knew, but Mary's pregnancy would be made known in just about three months if not before. His reputation might have been compromised as the consummation of the bethrowed would be frowned upon. An engagement was serious and ending it would be like a divorce, but you were still not expected to be intimate until after the ceremony of marriage. He was told to flee to Egypt and this meant starting all over again. He would have find a place to live, a job to provide for his family, and his connection to his family would now be severed. Yet, as he left behind all those things and maybe even more, he had with him the hope of the world. Everything he lost was not comparable to this child. This child was worth it all.
Pastor's message was wrapped up in this last statement, if we lose it all and still have Christ we have everything. Christ is our all in all. He is our help, our strength, our hope, our peace, our joy, our love. He is Jesus, the Messiah, the Saviour.
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