Advent Four - Mary Letter Day Eighteen

Advent Four Mary Letter Day 18

The Collect 

Purify our conscience, Almighty God, by your daily visitation, that your Son Jesus Christ, at his coming, may find in us a mansion prepared for himself; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. 

Old Testament Isaiah 7:10-16 

Again the LORD spoke to Ahaz, saying, Ask a sign of the LORD your God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven. But Ahaz said, I will not ask, and I will not put the LORD to the test. Then Isaiah said: “Hear then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary mortals, that you weary my God also? Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel. He shall eat curds and honey by the time he knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good. For before the child knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land before whose two kings you are in dread will be deserted.” 

 

Psalm 80:1-7, 16-18 

1 Hear, O Shepherd of Israel, 

leading Joseph like a flock; * 

shine forth, you that are 

enthroned upon the cherubim. 

2 In the presence of Ephraim, 

Benjamin, and Manasseh, * 

stir up your strength 

and come to help us. 

3 Restore us, O God of hosts; * 

show the light of your countenance,

 and we shall be saved. 

4 O LORD God of hosts, * 

how long will you be angered 

despite the prayers of your people? 

5 You have fed them 

with the bread of tears; * 

you have given them 

bowls of tears to drink. 

6 You have made us the 

derision of our neighbors, * 

and our enemies laugh us to scorn. 

7 Restore us, O God of hosts; * 

show the light of your countenance, 

and we shall be saved. 

16 Let your hand be upon the 

man of your right hand, * 

the son of man you have 

made so strong for yourself. 

17 And so will we never 

turn away from you; * 

give us life, that we may 

call upon your Name. 

18 Restore us, O LORD God of hosts; * 

show the light of your countenance,

 and we shall be saved. 

Romans 1:1-7

Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy scriptures, the gospel concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh and was declared to be Son of God with power according to the spirit of holiness by resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for the sake of his name, including yourselves who are called to belong to Jesus Christ, To all God's beloved in Rome, who are called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 

The Gospel Matthew 1:18-25 

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.” 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.

Dear Auntie,

I wrote to Mama and Papa yesterday to tell them our trip was going so well. It was not really the truth, but I didn't want to upset them. We were to go as far as Cousin Ruth's house the first night, which is where we still are. I have quite a scary tale to tell. As we were leaving town, the moon was full, and some men followed us as we traveled. Joseph tried to keep well ahead of the, but they surrounded us and called us terrible names. Joseph didn't respond to them in any way, knowing that would only make them bolder. After a while they told us never to return! One of the men, whipped the donkey I was riding on and made the animal bolt. I couldn't calm him down, held on as best I could, and was thrown off. I landed in soft brush by the roadside. We could hear the men laughing and jeering as they rode away. I sat and cried. Joseph came and held me and we sat by the side of the road for a long time.

Fortunately, Samuel came to look for us since we didn't show up when we were supposed to. Ruth was very upset and sent him after us. Samuel put me on his animal and walked beside me to their home while Joseph tended to our upset beast and walked along here. We will be on our way tonight, but I wanted you to know the truth in case something happens. Samuel will go with us tonight, until we get well away from their home, and he is sure we are safe.

Ruth insisted that I was checked by the wise women in her town. They looked me over thoroughly (how embarrassing!) and said I was fine to continue the journey. One of them thought I was close to term and told me to watch out for labor pains as they may come on suddenly. I assured her that I would be home with Mama before the baby came due.

Please pray for us. We are so willing to follow God's call in our lives and nothing can change that. It would be nice if the road ahead were easier and gentler than it has been. Nothing though, can stop us from carrying the child, this gift to the whole world and keeping him safe.

Much love,

Mary