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| Image by Zaimoku Woodpile |
A GREETING
I trust in the steadfast love of God forever and ever.
(Psalm 52:8)
A READING
Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly. But just when he had resolved to do 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 as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.’ All this took place to fulfil what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet: ‘Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel’, which means, ‘God is with us.’ When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him.
(Matthew 1:18-24)
MUSIC
A MEDITATIVE VERSE
Let your steadfast love and your faithfulness keep me safe for ever.
(Psalm 40:11)
A POEM
It was from Joseph first I learned
of love. Like me he was dismayed.
How easily he could have turned
me from his house; but, unafraid,
he put me not away from him
(O God-sent angel, pray for him).
Thus through his love was Love obeyed.
- from "O Sapientia" by Madeleine L'Engle
found in her collection A Widening Light: Poems of the Incarnation
VERSE OF THE DAY
You who seek God, let your hearts revive.
(Psalm 69:32)
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MUSIC
Four times in the first two chapters of the book of Matthew, Joseph hears the voice of messengers in his dreams with vivid direction. In today’s reading, one of them reassures him about Mary, after she has revealed herself to be with child. The reading comes after the long recitation in Matthew of the geneology of Jesus that ends with Joseph.
Today’s music selections offer contrasting moods in the experience of Joseph’s story. The medieval Cherry Tree Carol imagines an event on the road to Bethlehem in which the pregnant Mary yearns for some cherries from the trees they are passing. Twice Joseph denies her, until Jesus himself speaks from the womb asking for them too. Astonished, Joseph submits. The song just above, however, written from Mary’s point of view and addressed to her cousin Elizabeth, describes her concern about Joseph’s ability to truly accept what is happening to their lives.
Each of us has faced a time in which we have had to carry the wellbeing of others in the responsibilities of our day to day lives. We have struggled to know how best to uphold those we love, juggling the needs of the moment with the long-term needs they have for care. At other times, grief or anxiety grips us and we are hardly able to do anything at all. We can only ever try to hear God in the moment we are in, and sometimes we may not hear God at all. In all of these times, God is still with us.
Every year, despite how hard things have been, the promise offered by the incarnation of Jesus is brought into our lives anew. God speaks to us in our dreams and in our moments of decision and God is always in the space between ourselves, those we love, and the future. Who are the mentors, parents, grandparents, children, or friends whom you have relied on to help you pass safely through troubled times? Who may need that same kind of alliance from you today?
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| Image by Sebastian Niedlich |
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LC† A Joyful Noise is a project of Lutherans Connect, supported by the Eastern Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada and the Centre for Spirituality and Media at Martin Luther University College. To receive the devotions by email, write to lutheransconnect@gmail.com. The devotional pages are written and curated by Deacon Sherry Coman, with support and input from Pastor Steve Hoffard, Catherine Evenden and Henriette Thompson. Join us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram and on Twitter. Lutherans Connect invites you to make a donation to the Ministry by going to this link on the website of the ELCIC Eastern Synod and selecting "Lutherans Connect Devotionals" under "Fund". Devotions are always freely offered, however your donations help to support extended offerings throughout the year. Thank you and peace be with you!
