God with us
This
week we hear the Christmas story as told by Matthew. It is told from Joseph’s
point of view (Luke is from Mary’s) and is very different from Luke. Compare
them and see if you can work out why they are so different.
Matthew
works hard to mirror the story of Jesus with that of Moses and of the people of
Israel in general. He uses Isaiah 7:14 to explain his name – God is with us!
William
Loader says, “‘God with us’ is the high point of Matthew’s
birth stories. It means for the Jews that he is their promised Messiah, it
means for the universe that he is its star. He fulfils the promises of old. He
represents God’s saving grace which reaches beyond all boundaries. He owes his
existence to divine miracle. He embarks on a journey that will lead him through
rejection and death beyond Israel to the world. The birth stories in Matthew
offer altar panels in which we see reflected the story of the passion to come.
And at the same time the stories are like an overture. They set the stage and
in the chapters that follow the meaning of “God with us” is dramatised before
our eyes.”[1]
This
week our theme is love. During this week I invite you to take time at the end
of each day to give thanks for ways God with us has both brought love into your day; and through you brought love into the lives of others. I also invite you to
reflect on what has led you away from love.
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