December 22, 2019 Fourth Sunday of Advent-A
Isaiah 7:10-14
Psalm 24
Romans 1:1-7
Matthew 1:18-24
…an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream… Mt. 1:20
Lord, your servant Joseph had a choice to make after receiving the words of the angel in a dream. He could go ahead with his decision to quietly divorce Mary because she had conceived a child of which he was not the father. In which case she would be shamed by her family and risk being stoned for adultery. Or he could listen to the angel of God and take Mary into his home and go on with life. At this most critical point in the history of the salvation of mankind thanks be to God he chose to let go of his plan and obey the command of the angel. He was a faithful servant of God and he must have loved Mary very much to preserve her from scandal. Did he recall the prophecy of Isaiah that “a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son?” If so, he trusted in the help that would come with adopting the child named Emmanuel, “God is with us.” So, Lord, as we light the 4th, love candle on the Advent wreath let us celebrate the love of a God becoming man and the love of a man for a woman in obedience to God. Amen.