A Call to Love People

Pray – (1/2 minute)

Read – (2 1/2 minutes) – “This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.” (Matthew 1:18-19)
      Passage: Romans 12:9-13

        There were many things that I am sure Mary didn’t fully understand about how God was working in her life in choosing her to be the mother of Jesus. However, there was one thing I don’t believe she ever questioned. That was Joseph’s love for her. After Jesus was conceived through the Holy Spirit’s power, Mary went to help her relative, Elizabeth, who was 6 months pregnant with a miracle baby who would be John the Baptist, the forerunner for the Messiah. When Mary came home, she was 3 months along and it was obvious she was pregnant.
      Joseph knew he wasn’t the father, but he still loved Mary. While he decided he could not go through with marriage, he wanted to break the engagement in a way that would help Mary move forward with the least amount of hurt, which could have been a sentence of being stoned to death for adultery. Joseph shows us that while real love can be disappointed, it doesn’t cast stones. Christmas is a call to commitment to love others as Christ loves us. “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son…” Christmas reminds us to love.

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Pray - (1 1/2 minutes)