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,”
and they shall name him Emmanuel,”
which means, “God is with us.” When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife, but had no marital relations with her until she had borne a son; and he named him Jesus. Matthew 1:18-25
Dear Aunt Elizabeth,
We will be underway soon but I wanted to get this off before our next stop. We had a lovely evening at Naomi's last night. Her children are amazing musicians and they came over at dinner and we sang until late into the night. They have many instruments and play them beautifully! We were full of wonderful food and both were very sleepy when the music came to an end, yet we really didn't want it to stop. It felt so lovely and I would rather linger here with them, which already feels like home, than travel off into unknown territory. The baby kicked so much during the concert, as if he was as happy as we were.
Interestingly enough, we both have magnificent dreams. Joseph, who has been hiding his worry woke me up to tell me his dream. He was so comforted by it! The angel came again to his dreams, showing him our child, a boy with the sweetest face, standing beside him in the wood shop. They were laughing and working side by side as the angel told him not to be afraid! Amazing. I too had a dream about floating on warm water watching my boy swimming around me, laughing and splashing me. We ran out of the water and made a meal fit for kings. Joseph and other children were there and we were an family anchored in love and safety.
Auntie, it is one of those moments when I feel I can step out in faith, because these dreams have reminded us of God's promises. We held hands throughout breakfast and Joseph couldn't stop smiling. Naomi even noticed his happiness and told us how our presence has blessed her as well. So, off we go, wrapped in love and promises - and an extended family that is so supportive. More from the road!
All my love,
Mary
Dear Aunt Elizabeth,
We will be underway soon but I wanted to get this off before our next stop. We had a lovely evening at Naomi's last night. Her children are amazing musicians and they came over at dinner and we sang until late into the night. They have many instruments and play them beautifully! We were full of wonderful food and both were very sleepy when the music came to an end, yet we really didn't want it to stop. It felt so lovely and I would rather linger here with them, which already feels like home, than travel off into unknown territory. The baby kicked so much during the concert, as if he was as happy as we were.
Interestingly enough, we both have magnificent dreams. Joseph, who has been hiding his worry woke me up to tell me his dream. He was so comforted by it! The angel came again to his dreams, showing him our child, a boy with the sweetest face, standing beside him in the wood shop. They were laughing and working side by side as the angel told him not to be afraid! Amazing. I too had a dream about floating on warm water watching my boy swimming around me, laughing and splashing me. We ran out of the water and made a meal fit for kings. Joseph and other children were there and we were an family anchored in love and safety.
Auntie, it is one of those moments when I feel I can step out in faith, because these dreams have reminded us of God's promises. We held hands throughout breakfast and Joseph couldn't stop smiling. Naomi even noticed his happiness and told us how our presence has blessed her as well. So, off we go, wrapped in love and promises - and an extended family that is so supportive. More from the road!
All my love,
Mary
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