Sabbath, September 13, 2008
Matthew 1:18-25, 2:13-15
Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:
“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and they shall call his name Immanuel”
(which means, God with us). When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.
Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.” And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, “Out of Egypt I called my son.” (ESV)
by Angie Osborn
Ironically, as I write this, it is December 17, 2006—only a few days before Christmas. For the last few years, I have been more and more saddened and even appalled by the focus that is put on Christmas. Advertisements are all about buying just the right gift for everyone on your list. The stores start their promotions shortly after the “back to school” sales. Materialism is everywhere!
As I read this passage, it struck me that our celebration is about the one and only perfect gift. It cannot be bought with money and cannot be given by another. Each of us must willingly accept the gift of Christ and his death for our sins. At Christmas time, we celebrate the fulfillment of prophesy—the Messiah has come! We have a way to be made right with God through Jesus. That is the perfect gift and the reason we celebrate this season! God is with us!
Copyright Information
Daily Bible Meditations are taken from The Helping Hand,a Sabbath School student quarterly for youth and adults. Copyright © 2008, Seventh Day Baptist Board of Christian Education, Inc.
Scripture quotations marked "ESV" are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. Copyright ©2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Text provided by the Crossway Bibles Web Service .
