Matthew 1:20-23 Authorized (King James) Version
20 But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. 21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. 22 Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, 23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.
The Miracle: What If God Were to Disrupt Your Life?
Like that emergent need for Open Heart Surgery …
Like suddenly listening to the news, trying to absorb the impact of learning that my “Widow Making” Left Anterior Descending Coronary Artery is 99% blocked.
Like learning from the Cardiac Surgeon my much troubled heart will be 100% stopped for some period of time during my Triple Bypass Open Heart Surgery.
Some things in life insert themselves like hard claps of thunder into our lives and can take us completely by surprise, stun us into complete insensibility.
Sometimes things happen that seem to turn our world utterly upside down.
I learned I needed emergent surgery on my heart July 14, 2023 – I had no choice but to be admitted to the Hospital for my Open Heart Surgery on July 17, 2023.
God brought me through my heart being stopped – God gave me my life back!
That is what essentially happened to a man named Joseph, a builder living in the town of Nazareth in Galilee about 2,000 years ago.
A blessed disruption: engaged to be married to a young woman named Mary, he was so looking forward to when they would become husband and wife, to have children, to make a home together, to be surrounded by their extended family.
But then Joseph learned that Mary, his future wife, was expecting a child.
Could there have been a more sudden and unexpected disruption to his life?
To Joseph’s mind, that meant that somewhere young Mary had been unfaithful.
Could Joseph’s life be turned more upside down – all those plans of a family?
Rush to a decision-protect the families – act, work to salvage their reputations.
Now what to do about this thunderclap news – to keep her from being publicly disgraced, he intended to “divorce her quietly” and then simply send her away.
Planning all the steps needed, but that same night, an angel came to Joseph in a dream, telling him that the child to be born was conceived by the Holy Spirit.
Now, what kind of thunderclap news was this – another brand new disruption?
How much more hardcore disruption to his life could this Joseph deal with?
The angel told Joseph to believe the unbelievable and to take Mary as his wife.
God Himself stepped directly into his life and disrupted many of Joseph’s plans.
God Himself would make sure that Joseph’s life would never ever be the same.
Miracle of Miracles!
Wonder of Wonders!
Mystery of all Mysteries!
The Disruption of all Disruptions!
Matthew 1:20-21 Authorized (King James) Version
20 But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. 21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.
Instead of allowing Joseph to brood for too long, to make this disruption into an obsession – so to make bad plans, God caused a deep sleep to come upon Joseph.
As God went to King Solomon in a dream, God sent his angel unto Joseph and in a divine, much needed moment of divine disruption-“It is all going to be okay!”
When Joseph woke up from his dream, he did what the angel commanded him.
Perhaps God has disrupted your life as He disrupted mine, as He did Joseph’s.
Perhaps he turned your life upside down.
Are you ready to accept the miracle, that miraculous disruption of God’s will for your life? Miraculous turnaround? ready to surrender to Him and to Serve Him?
Like Joseph, Do You Believe in Christmas Miracles?
Matthew 1:20-23The Message
20-23 While he was trying to figure a way out, he had a dream. God’s angel spoke in the dream: “Joseph, son of David, don’t hesitate to get married. Mary’s pregnancy is Spirit-conceived. God’s Holy Spirit has made her pregnant. She will bring a son to birth, and when she does, you, Joseph, will name him Jesus—‘God saves’—because he will save his people from their sins.” This would bring the prophet’s embryonic revelation to full term:
Watch for this—a virgin will get pregnant and bear a son;
They will name him Immanuel (Hebrew for “God is with us”).
Have you noticed how many Christmas movies focus on receiving a Christmas miracle?
The miracle of Santa Claus coming at exactly the right moment into someone’s life – bringing the miracle of exactly the right and perfect gift – always exactly the right time in exactly the right place-disrupting the negative expectations?
Although many center on Santa Claus making things happen, still Christmas is always portrayed as a time for long-awaited hopes and dreams to be fulfilled.
Rightly so, too, because Christmas is all about disrupting the negative impact of all the sudden or not so sudden bad news we received – hardcore disrupting all of them inside one fell swoop with miracles whose origins can only be of God!
It’s a heavenly celebration of the miraculous virgin birth of Jesus, God comes to earth in human form, to live among mankind and save people from their sins.
What could be more miraculously hardcore of hardcore disruptive than that?
So how do you approach Christmas?
Are you hoping for God to do the impossible in your life?
Do you believe what the angel told Mary, that all things are possible with God?
Luke 1:36-38 Authorized (King James) Version
36 And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren. 37 For with God nothing shall be impossible. 38 And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.
If you aren’t expecting God to do the impossible at Christmas or any other time of the year, perhaps because of past disappointments, of times where you had great hope, anticipation but didn’t see your life disrupted – prayers answered?
If so, pick up your Bible, ask God to first disrupt your expectations then renew your expectancy in Him, to revive your faith despite all your disappointments.
Choose to disrupt your life – choose to base what you believe about God on what Scripture says about Him, rather on those of the past discouraging experiences.
If former letdowns are what’s holding you back from having faith in God, James 1:6 encourages you to hardcore disrupt your unbelief, believe with all your heart and all your soul and do not doubt God because doubt inhibits the impossible.
James 1:5-8 The Message
5-8 If you don’t know what you’re doing, pray to the Father. He loves to help. You’ll get his help, and won’t be condescended to when you ask for it. Ask boldly, believingly, without a second thought. People who “worry their prayers” are like wind-whipped waves. Don’t think you’re going to get anything from the Master that way, adrift at sea, keeping all your options open.
Scripture explains what happened when Jesus visited His hometown and the residents doubted Him.
Their disbelief affected what they were able to receive from Jesus.
As Matthew 13:58 explains, “And He did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith.”
If you are lacking faith in believing God is able to do the impossible, ask Him to increase your faith.
Hebrews 11:1 explains, “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.”
Hebrews 11:1-2The Message
Faith in What We Don’t See
11 1-2 The fundamental fact of existence is that this trust in God, this faith, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living. It’s our handle on what we can’t see. The act of faith is what distinguished our ancestors, set them above the crowd.
Consider how everything you see created was once impossible without God.
As John 1:3 explains, “Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made.”
As Jeremiah 32:17 describes, “Ah, Sovereign Lord, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for You.”
Colossians 1:16 further describes, “For in Him all things were created; things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through Him and for Him.”
At Christmas and all year long, choose to believe that disruption is okay, that nothing is too difficult for God to bring about in your life by stepping out in faith and praying to Him to transform your impossibilities into possibilities.
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
Psalm 23
A Psalm of David.
1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures:
he leadeth me beside the still waters.
3 He restoreth my soul:
he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil: for thou art with me;
thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies:
thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life:
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.
Father in heaven, help us to accept your will for our lives, even when it turns our world upside down. Help us always to acknowledge Jesus as our Lord and Savior.
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.
Loving God, Living God, Loving Hope, Living Hope, Loving Living Life His Way! "Many things are possible for the person who has hope. Even more is possible for the person who has faith. And still more is possible for the person who knows how to love. But everything is possible for the person who practices all three virtues." - Brother Lawrence (1605-1691), Practicing the Presence of God (1692). 