As Mary and Joseph approach Bethlehem and the mountains which surround it, Joseph might have felt overwhelmed by all that lay before him. There is a certain part in our journey that is finite. “Once we go this way, we can never go back.”
Category: Advent Meditations
Many men know the burden of provision. At the end of the day, many men know what it’s like to lie awake worrying about the souls in the other room, the finances needed to provide, and a myriad of other things. The hidden trap of worrying about provision is not as much the anxiety as
Joseph knew WHO he was because he knew WHOSE he was. What we know about Joseph, namely his marriage to Mary and his raising Jesus, are both given to him by God. However, God’s first words to Joseph through the angel remind him of his identity. “Joseph, SON of David, do not fear…” (Matthew 1:20)
In marriage, a man’s wife changes him. He practices giving himself in love to her. He allows himself to be determined by her. He must attune himself to her, and she engages his heart and helps to develop his EROS into AGAPE love. Most men must learn this. There is greatness inside of every man,
Paralambanō. It’s the Greek word translated as “took” in the Gospels and it means “to enter into CLOSE relationship.” As in, “When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he TOOK his wife” (Matthew 1:24). The less emphatic version of this word is used by another man of