18This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit.
19Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.
20But after he had considered this, an angel 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.
21She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins."
- P75
22All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet:
23"The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel" (which means "God with us").
- P77
Joseph is a man of integrity caught in a painful, confusing situation. As a devout Jew, he desires to uphold the Law, yet he also loves Mary and does not want to shame her publicly. His decision to divorce her quietly shows both compassion and righteousness. But in this very moment of struggle, God intervenes and reveals the truth about Mary’s child and the role Joseph is to play in God’s redemptive plan. - P78
Like Joseph, God invites us to embrace a role in His plan that is far greater than we can imagine. In seasons of uncertainty, when we cannot see the full picture, He calls us to trust Him and continue to obey His words. He will reveal what we need to know at the right time. - P78
Lord, when things are uncertain and I don’t fully understand my circumstances, give me the courage to act in integrity and faith. Teach me to trust Your purposes above my own plans, and to obey when You call me into something greater than myself. In Jesus’ name, amen. - P79
Mary is pledged to Joseph but is found pregnant through the Holy Spirit.
Joseph plans to divorce her quietly, but an angel tells him in a dream to takeMary as his wife because her child is from the Holy Spirit. Joseph obeys andtakes Mary as his wife but refrains from union with her until she gives birth.
He names the child Jesus. - P77
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