Matthew 1:18-23
The Birth of Jesus the Messiah
Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly. But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet:
“Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and they shall name him Emmanuel,”
which means, “God is with us.”
Are you ready?
asked the checkout operator
as she scanned the last minute gifts we remembered
Are you ready?
A question posed numerous times
in myriad ways
this past few days.
Are you ready?
Our response to that will vary greatly
There is always the fear that we have overlooked something
forgotten something vital
had a senior moment
left things too late.
But the good news of Christmas
For all of us
Is that it doesn't matter
how ready we are.
God is born.
Emmanuel - God with us
happens over and over again.
Ready or not.
Emmanuel - God with us
comes to those who grieve
to those who worry and fret
to those who feel unprepared
to those who feel calm and ready
to those who are excited
to those who dread
to those who feel that Christmas
has already been snatched from them
and to those who are waiting to see
what tomorrow brings.
The good news, for all, is
we do not make Christmas
we do not have to be ready
In every circumstance,
God is born
Emmanuel - God with us.
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