The Fourth Sunday of Advent, December 21 at 10 am

You are invited to celebrate the 4th Sunday of Advent with us. The service begins at 10 am. Coffee and visiting after the service.

Here are Rev. Marlene’s thoughts on the upcoming service.

Marlene’s Rev. Notes:

 ^“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.” Matthew 1:21

When Joseph first learned that his fiancée Mary was bearing someone else’s child, he must have felt deep heartache.  By law, he had the right to accuse Mary of adultery and have her executed.  Then an angel told Joseph in a dream that he was to stay with Mary, for her child was from God (1:18-25).

Three times Joseph received angelic messages in dreams, and each time they called for him to act in unexpected ways.  First, he was called to care for a wife he had never slept with and a child who was not his.  Then he was ordered to flee as a refugee to far-off Egypt.  Finally, an angel told him to return home, where the neighbours probably remembered that Mary had been pregnant before her marriage.

We know one thing about Joseph: he obeyed, following the angel’s orders in each difficult instance.  A dutiful stepfather, he treated his son as his own, raising him according to the Jewish law.  As a carpenter, he taught Jesus to hammer and saw.  As a righteous man, he modeled for him a life of faith.

We last hear of Joseph when Jesus was 12.  After that, the Bible only mentions Jesus’ mother, Mary, and Jesus’ brothers. Scholars speculate that Joseph probably died before Jesus began his ministry, as we see from the cross, Jesus committing the care of his mother to one of his disciples. However, through his faithfulness as a stepfather, however, Joseph made a lasting contribution to the world.

Life Questions

Has God ever asked you to do what appeared to be a thankless task?  What was it, and how did it turn out?