Joseph is an interesting person in the Christmas narrative. He is only mentioned a few times in all the gospels but without him the Advent of Christ could not have happened the way it did. Joseph played a critical role in the legitimacy of Jesus’ birth, not only for the sake of Mary’s place in society but to fulfill many Old Testament prophecies about the Messiah.  When we first meet Joseph in the first chapter of Matthew, he is in shock over the news that the woman to whom he was engaged was already pregnant. This was a crisis because he knew the child was not his and had decided a legal divorce was the only course of action. His life would forever be changed. The Angel of the Lord comes to Joseph in a dream with an important message. In spite of being in crisis mode he heard and obeyed the word from God. Matthew 1:18-25 reveals some interesting aspects of Joseph’s life that helped him hear and respond in obedience to the Word of the Lord, even when he was in crisis mode. Many times, the business of life together with the big and smaller crisis we face in life can prevent us from hearing the voice of God. As God sent a message to Joseph, he also has a message for us through the Advent of Christ. A message we could miss if we don’t prepare ourselves to hear the voice of God. Join us this Sunday as we look at the angelic visit to Joseph and Hearing the Voice of God in Advent.

You likely have heard the term “The Glass Ceiling.” It is an unofficially acknowledged barrier to advancement in a profession, especially affecting women and members of minorities.  Part of the effects of the original sin and fall of man are the limits placed on mankind. In Luke 1:26-38 we meet Mary, the mother of Jesus for the first time. It is not an overstatement to say that a woman in Mary’s position, in the first century near east lived with many limitations on her. As a young woman that was engaged she was still under the authority of her father and was preparing to come under the authority of her husband to be, Joseph. Mary was limited by a man’s authority in her education, her business dealings and even the places she could go. But in Luke 1 Mary hears the wonderful news of God’s Advent in the child she would conceive by the Holy Spirit, whose name is Jesus. It was through that child God would fulfill the statement by the Angel, “For nothing is impossible with God.” Advent means that God comes into our lives to overcome sin, and the limitations sin places on us. When we receive Christ through personal surrender, the limitations of sin are replaced by the opportunities God provides for us to glorify Him. Join us this Sunday as we discover how Christmas Brings Limitless Opportunities.