Gather
Take a few moments to light a candle, quiet yourself and open with prayer. You can use the same simple prayer each day, or pray how the Spirit leads you.
Holy Spirit come and work within me to strengthen and confirm my faith so that God’s grace might work in and through me.
The Word
Matthew 1:6, 2 Samuel 12:24-25
Response
Uriah’s wife. Bathsheba isn’t even named. Do you think that is Matthew passing judgment on her, or on the way she found herself woven into the story? David could have turned her away when she reported to be pregnant, but in his murderous way, he accepted responsibility and took her in.
None of these women made it into the record through “traditional” marriage, and Matthew is intentionally drawing our attention to them before he gets to the birth of Jesus. Jesus is part of this long narrative, stretching back to Abraham with a sordid history full of redemption stories.
With this background in mind, “This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about…“
Thanksgiving
Take a few moments to pray for others.
Go Forth
And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. [Amen.]
Colossians 3:15-17
Journey Through Scripture 