Step-Father



Prayer: Dear Lord God, Thank You for times of quiet reflection and mediation upon Your Word. Please join me here so that You might be glorified and I might be edified. Strengthen my faith and deepen my love. Show me where I might serve others because of Your love. In  Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

 Read: Matthew 1:18–21

Think about It: As of 2011, 11.7 million families in the US were headed by a single parent, 85.2% of which were headed by a female, 55% of whom were never married. This statistical reports also point to the fact that a large percentage these fractured families usually fall   below the poverty line and struggle everyday just to sustain a home with food on the table. Single motherhood has never been easy.

When God the Father announced to Mary that she would carry the Son of God, He was setting her into a very difficult situation. First of all, they stoned women who came up pregnant without the benefit of marriage. Then, even if they escaped death by stoning, they were shunned from society and set into the street to live. Generally it meant life as a prostitute just to put food on the table. Fortunately, we don't kill unwed mothers anymore. But that doesn't mean their lives are easy.

God did not want the life of a prostitute for the mother of His Son, so He gave Mary a husband in the person of Joseph. We don't know very much about Joseph other than his profession (carpenter) and that he is not mentioned in the biblical text at all after Jesus appearance in the temple at the age of 12. In today's reading we find that Joseph was unwilling to marry a pregnant woman at first, and was going to "divorce her quietly" for he did not want to see her stoned either. But his mind was changed after a visit from an angel of the Lord telling him that Mary was still pure. Upon accepting the responsibility for this Child, we see into Joseph's character. Not only does he originally want to protect her life and that of the Child, he also is willing to parent a Child who is not his own, raising Him with love and acceptance. Joseph takes on the role of protector for both Marry and Jesus. While Joseph's voice is   barely heard in the Scriptures, his place in the history of God's story cannot be overstated.

Prayer: Lord, I want to take the opportunity to thank You for providing people in my life who took care of me and taught me the faith. It may not have been a father for everyone, but You always give us people who teach us and show us Your love. May those people in my life be blessed by Your and loved by me! In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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