December 8th
David loved doing Jigsaws. A pastime which had begun with his granddad. David would hide the last piece so he could be the one to complete the picture. It was a great pastime when the weather outside was bleak. This day, David and his Dad were piecing together a picture of a sweet shop, with many coloured jars of sweets and bars of chocolate…
“Dad, now the outside is done, shall I do the chocolate bars?”
“That sounds like a good plan son.”
“If the pieces were numbered on the back, it would be much easier.”
“But not so much fun, the process of putting it together is both challenging and fun – think of how you feel when the job is done?”
With a Jigsaw there is just a vision of how it will look. Our work is to assemble the pieces, often we do the outside first – but there are no set instructions of how it must be done.
Joseph was about to do something about his situation with Mary when he received a vision in the form of an angel. The angel gave Joseph a picture of how things were to be; Joseph then needed to decide what he would do. Joseph honoured Mary and stood by her, trusting in what God had told him through the angel. That’s a big ask when you consider the times they lived in – even today, to stand your ground in what you believe to be true can be risky. Would we take an easier option to stay safe?
Do we still hear from God today? I believe we do in many ways, but we just don’t expect it – so we tend not to see or hear it. My feeling here about Joseph is that he was not passive in his encounter with the angel and he turned away from his thoughts to send Mary away.
In hearing / encountering God, our initial response should be to say sorry for our mistakes.
Psalm 51:1-2
Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.
Prayer
Lord may I hear your voice, guide me in your ways. Show me in a way that I will recognise you. Forgive my mistakes and renew my spirit oh Lord. Amen.
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Tomorrow – Family history