But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 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.”
All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Emmanuel” (which means “God with us”). -Matthew 1:20-23
Dear Holy Spirit,
You would not leave Joseph too long to figure out on his own what you had done. He would never have thought it. So, you intervened and sent Gabriel to tell him you were the father of his boy and that he didn't have to page through baby books with Mary to find a name. What relief he must have felt when he realized Mary had not been unfaithful. But how fast the relief turned to awe and then serious resolve when he realized he was the earthly protector of the baby Savior. Help me to treat the gospel about your Son with the same awe and respect. Help me to protect it as much as I revere it. Help me to share it as much as I protect it. Give me the same faith filled resolve to help sad and lonely sinners to realize your Son is Emmanuel, God with them! Give me faith in his presence now whenever I feel lonely and confused. Conceive in me the insights of Christ centered faith that empower me to live above my fears and complaints. Make his birthday truly merry day for me and my loved ones.
Amen
Pastor Don Patterson
The Holy Spirit conceives in our hearts a sublime trust in the one he conceived in Mary's womb.