This is how… – Matthew 1:18
A few weeks ago we were at the youth Bible Quiz in St. Louis and J.D. Saylors led a whole devotional on these three words. This is how… Everyone’s story can be started with these three words. This is how Sherry came to know Christ. This is how Scott and Sherry fell in love and married. This is how Sherry came to work for Living Alternatives Pregnancy Resource Center. This is how the Sherwood’s came to live in Pekin, Illinois.
Jesus’ story in Matthew starts in this same way. This is how Jesus was born. This is how the virgin, Mary, came to be with child. This is how Joseph decided to marry her instead of divorcing her quietly. This is how Mary & Joseph were in Bethlehem when Jesus was born. This is how Jesus was born in a stable instead of an inn. This is how shepherds and wisemen came to visit the baby Jesus. This is how Herod came to know of the birth of King Jesus. This is how the prophecy of Isaiah came to be fulfilled in the birth of Jesus.
This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit. Joseph, her fiancé, was a good man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement quietly.
As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him a dream, “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”
All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet:
“Look! The virgin will conceive a child!
She will give birth to a son,
and they will call him Immanuel,
which means ‘God is with us.’”
When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded and took Mary as his wife. But he did not have sexual relations with her until her son was born. And Joseph named him Jesus. – Matthew 1:18-25
So what is your story? How did you come to know Christ? What circumstances brought you to the place in life you are today? How would you finish this sentence: This is how…
Now that we know how you arrived to where you are today, where are you going? As Paul Harvey would ask, what is the rest of the story? As we enjoy another Christmas season, open another gift, drink another cup of eggnog and sing another Christmas carol, consider where your story goes from here. As we say goodbye to 2012 and look ahead to 2013, we have the opportunity to write the next chapter of our lives.
Heavenly Father, as we bow before you this cold December morning, we ask that you would see into our hearts. Lord, see the desire of our heart to live a life that pleases you. We thank you for our story, for the way you have been with us through the great times and through the difficult ones. We ask for a special touch this Christmas as we hear again how you gave your Son to us, to be born in a manger and to die on a cross. May our hearts be open to any new insights you have for us this year. Lord, we bring to you the gift of our lives and we give you where our story goes from here. Father, take the pen out of my hand and write the rest of my story for me. I submit to your plan. Amen.