Pine Street Advent 2017 Devotional December 3 December 3 Joseph the Carpenter Listens to God and Obeys This 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. Because 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. But 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. 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.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”). When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus. Matthew 1:18‐25 Almost everything that took place the first Advent was the work of God. Joseph, a carpenter by trade, was engaged to Mary when they discovered that she was pregnant. They had not created the child but the situation was a violation of Hebrew law. Joseph faced a major decision. As he tried to figure out a way forward without hurting Mary God sent the Angel Gabriel with what was surely the most important message Joseph had ever received from God. Hear this word, Gabriel said to Joseph, this child is a special gift of God. Decide to take Mary as your wife for the child is the long expected Messiah. You shall name him Jesus, fulfilling your role as his special father. All these things were startling revelations, but they waited on something of crucial importance: what would Joseph decide to do? God created Joseph and all of us with the opportunity to listen and decide. Give thanks this Advent that Joseph listened to God and decided to obey God and follow God’s plan. Our calls from God, whether as individuals, as husbands and wives, as parents, or as children, may not be as dramatic as the one Joseph received, but God continues to call people to follow the Way. This season let us listen for God calling and decide to follow more closely the Way. Prayer: God, may we listen more closely to you. Help us to decide more fully to follow your Way. Amen John F. Piper, Jr. December 4 Christmas Through the Eyes of Joseph Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David. He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child. Luke 2:4‐5 Adam Hamilton writes in his book: No man played a more important role in Jesus’ life than Joseph. Though not Joseph’s biological father, Joseph adopted Jesus as his son. Joseph protected him, provided for him, taught and mentored him. This year we are doing something different—we’ve written our own Advent Devotional. Rev. Dr. Piper wrote a devotional for each Sunday, twice a week there will be something especially geared for the children, and other members will be reflecting on the meaning of Advent. I hope you will enjoy these daily devotions as we prepare our hearts for Christmas. Typically when we look at the birth of Jesus, the focus is often on Mary, the mother of Jesus, and on Luke’s account of the Christmas story. But in our Advent series and in Adam Hamilton’s book, Faithful, Christmas Through the Eyes of Joseph, we will focus on Joseph, his life, and his role in the birth and life of Jesus. I hope this devotional, Bible study, and morning worship will help us look with fresh eyes at a familiar story we rehearse each year. We will get to know Joseph as a carpenter, consider Joseph’s ancestry, and consider the journey of Joseph and his family to Bethlehem. May God find us as faithful as Joseph when he faced the startling news that Mary was pregnant and he wasn’t the father. May we find through Joseph’s story, that we will be equally faithful when we must take an unexpected and perhaps unwanted journey. So the journey has begun as we move through Advent and look with anticipation to the birth of our Savior. Let us pray. Loving God, help us each day to make the time to prepare for the coming of Christ. Take away the distractions and craziness of the season that we can really focus on the real meaning of Christmas. Help us to see through the eyes of Joseph and see this old, old story from a new perspective. We ask this in Jesus’ name. AMEN. Pastor Doug PS. I want to thank Barb Flock for providing the pages for our children, Kailey Slye for designing the cover, and for all those who wrote a devotional. This is a wonderful gift you’ve given. THANK YOU! December 5 December 6 How Could It Be Once I was young, and now I am old. Yet I have never seen the godly abandoned or their children begging for bread. Psalm 37:25 “How could it be?” I first heard these words from Joseph’s Song when a young pastor Mark Brumbach sang them at Trout Run UMC. Worship service. Mark’s rendition impressed upon me the emotions Joseph was experiencing in being the Messiah’s earthly father. The song, however, had a special meaning to me at the time as, “How could it be?” was the question I was asking myself about the challenges in my life at that time. Now, twenty‐five years later, I marvel at how often I have asked that question of myself and of God. A search of Holy Scripture will not specifically reveal that Joseph ever uttered these words. Nevertheless, our human experience confirms Joseph would have wrestled with the answer to this question, many times, including: When the angel told him of Mary’s Immaculate conception (Matt. 1:20). When in the last days of her pregnancy he was forced to take Mary on the arduous journey to Bethlehem (Luke 2:1‐5). When he could find no place except for a dirty stable for Mary to give birth to the Savior of the world (Luke 2:7). When he was told by the Lord in the middle of the night to get up, take Mary and baby Jesus and flee to Egypt (Matt. 2:13). Joseph’s answer, born out by his actions, was always to do his part to fit into God’s plan even though he, Joseph, was but a simple carpenter. He trusted and obeyed God being assured that God “….will never abandon the godly: (Psalm 37:28). Joseph’s willingness to “Put (his) hope in the Lord (and) travel steadily along His path” (Psalm 37:34) has served as a guide to me when facing life’s challenges as I have gone from younger to older. In that journey, I have often asked, “How can it be: that I would be able to be a worthy husband and father; our children would grow into Christian adults; there would be enough money; I can completely handle the challenges and obligations of my work; I can overcome daily temptations to sin, especially lust, envy and anger?” My answers? No! God’s answers to these questions have come through worship, bible study and prayer. These have been supported by the prayers of others, the help and instruction of fellow believers and many pastors, but especially by the love and support of my wife and family. Through all of these, the Holy Spirit has empowered me to turn from evil and do good in the sight of God, assuring me by His grace and mercy, I will live with Him forever (Psalm 37:27). Prayer: Lord God, you are the source of our salvation. We marvel at “How Could It Be” that you chose to come to earth to save us through your birth, death and resurrection. Give to us the faith of Joseph, that as simple as we are, we place our trust and hope in You. Amen Bill Kieser Joseph’s Song by Michael Card, https://youtu.be/KT4VDAIaMwU December 8 Waiting for Jesus Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. You, also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. James 5:7‐8 Doesn’t it seem like we are always waiting for something? We wait in check‐out lines, we wait for medical test results, we wait for a loved one to accept Christ. As a child, it was hard for me to wait until Christmas morning when my parents would put the baby Jesus in our Nativity set. I wanted to see the baby in the manger long before that! The Christmas song says, “Come thou long‐expected Jesus,” and we are reminded how the prophets waited thousands of years for their Messiah.