A Surprising God (Matthew 1:18-25)
Since moving to Southern CA, I've ridden up and down PHC on my bike dozens of times. Most days have been glorious, sunny days with spectacular views of the Pacific Ocean. The one thing that is a consistent challenge on those rides is the WIND.
When I ride into a strong headwind, it's about all I can think about. "I'm not going very fast," "my legs hurt," and "I wonder when I'll make it home?" are some of the common refrains that pass through my mind. With all the energy I devote to these headwinds, can you guess how much I think about the tailwind at my back pushing me forward? Almost never.
This analogy feels true to life. All of us are facing some opposing "headwinds," some of us to an enormous degree. And those "headwinds" often get a disproportionate amount of our mental energy. But, in the spirit of the Thanksgiving holiday we just celebrated, we're going to concentrate our thoughts on the "tailwinds" pushing us forward in our new Advent sermon series "God At Work."
Over the next few weeks, we'll be digging deep into Matthew's account of Jesus's birth and early childhood, Christmas passages you'll likely be familiar with. Are adversities present in this historical account? Yes. Is God at work in the midst of it all? Absolutely.
This Sunday, God becomes a person (Matthew 1:18-25). I'm looking forward to worshiping Immanuel (God with us) together!
-Pastor Chris
Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:
“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and they shall call his name Immanuel”
(which means, God with us). When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.
-Matthew 1:18-25