Day 21: Trust

"But after he had considered this, an angle of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, 'Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.  She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.'"  Matthew 1:18-25

Main Character:  Joseph
Scripture:  Matthew 1:18-25
Symbol:  Hammer

I must admit that I struggled to come up with an illustration for today's lesson.  After some pondering, I have decided to simply explore this story with you directly from the text.  It is overwhelming to think of a situation that would mirror what Joseph was experiencing.

Picture this.  You are about to be married to a beautiful young woman when you discover that she is pregnant...and you KNOW it is not your baby.  Then, she comes to you and tells you that the child in her womb is actually conceived by God.  I know that I would have gone running in the other direction.  Instead, Joseph in his wisdom takes time to think and pray before he acts.  God rewards Joseph by sending him an angel in his dreams to ensure him that Mary is being honest.  Stick with Mary, Joseph, and you will be rewarded for your trust and faith.

Let's first look at Joseph's decision making process.  He did not rush to judgment and divorce Mary instantly.  At first, he thought he only had two decisions - divorce Mary quietly or bring her to the courts to have her stoned.  Through his patience and faith in God, he was shown the third option, which he took.  He stood by Mary and is now known as one of the most faithful men in history.

Another point to note, the text is very specific that the baby was conceived in Mary through the Holy Spirit.  This is a critical verse where God points out that our new Savior will be perfectly God and perfectly human at the same time.  He would have the ability to fully understand us in a way that no other false Messiah could.  In fact, the name Jesus means "the Lord saves" and the reference in verse 23 to Immanuel means "God with us."  Jesus could save us from our humanness and dwell fully with us as God.

Take today to remember what it truly means to trust and be faithful.  We need to take time in our decision making processes and focus on what God's will is in every situation.

Ponder Points:

• Talk about trust.  What does that word mean to each person?
• How do you know that you can trust someone or in something?  How did Joseph show trust?
• Have you ever reacted to a situation hastily?  How did that work out?  How would things have been different if you had taken time to act as Joseph did?
• Discuss what it would be like to stand out in society as Joseph.  How can we be more sensitive and welcoming as a church to people that are seen as societal outcasts?