JOSEPH

Caspar, Melchior and Balthazar happened across a man who was sleeping, they thought about waking him up to ask for directions to Bethlehem.  But he seemed to be so peaceful.  Little did they know that it was Joseph, the foster father of the Christ child, who could have very easily shown them the way to Bethlehem.  But these magi were none too wise.  Joseph was having one of his many important dreams at the time.  This particular one was giving him some peace around a decision he had made about a young maiden.  Later, he would be warned to flee to Egypt, and also would dream about when it would be safe to return.  Caspar, Melchior, and Balthazar would take a page from Joseph, “and being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.” (Matthew 2:12)

WESLEY’S QUESTION:  Do I disobey God in anything?

SCRIPTURE:  Now the birth of Jesus Christ[a] took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed[b] 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)

FOOLISH WISDOM:  Balthazar of the golden tent stakes, had once been poor.  But he dreamed of a treasure hidden under a bridge in Prague.  Balthazar obeyed the dream, leaving his hut and stove and set out for Prague.  He walked around the bridge every day, until finally, a guard of the bridge said, “You are poor, yet have clearly travelled far to see this bridge.  What do you seek?”  Balthazar told him of the dream and the treasure.  The guard just laughed, “Foolish man, obeying dreams.  Why, I have always had a dream that there was a treasure hidden under the stove in the hut of a poor man named Balthazar, you don’t see me running off to find it, do you?”(adapted Jewish folktale)

MUSIC SELECTION:

Once in Royal David’s City by Robert A. Hobby

Laura Hesse, organ

© 2002 Birnamwood Publications. The music is presented with permission under One License X-732009.