A Christmas Dream
What an amazing Sunday to be in the house of the Lord! Yesterday we gathered together for A Christmas Dream where we were blessed with our incredible multi-media production and a powerful message from Pastor Eric all about Immanuel. We loved celebrating the birth of Jesus with you!
In Immanuel, God with Us, we’re reminded that we are never alone because God is with us and He is for us! We see this truth proclaimed time and time throughout the New Testament in the books of Romans, Matthew, and John. We also saw the first Christmas dream unfold and reveal the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. We have so many reasons to celebrate Him this season! The Christmas Story–-the arrival of Jesus and the story of His birth in the Bible–begins with a dream. We see this dream play in the first chapter of the New Testament:
Matthew 1:18-25 (NLT) 18This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit. 19Joseph, to whom she was engaged, was a righteous man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement quietly.
20As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. 21And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” 22All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet: 23“Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us.’” 24When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded and took Mary as his wife.
A Dream within a Dream
When we think of the Christmas story, we often think of Joseph and Mary and baby Jesus. We think of the wisemen and the magistrates and the star and the shepherds. What we fail to remember is that this story begins with a dream. Joseph is preparing to marry his fiancee, Mary. There’s so much excitement and anticipation around their wedded lives together. There’s planning and joy and hope of all that will be until Joseph’s bliss is interrupted with some shocking news.
Joseph learns that Mary is pregnant and that he himself is not the biological father of her baby. Mary tells Joseph the truth about her encounter with the angel. She tells him that God told her she’d be pregnant by the power of the Holy Spirit and that she would birth God’s Son and name Him Jesus. Mary told Joseph that Jesus would save the world from their sins and that he would be the hope for all of humanity.
Like we read in Matthew 1, Joseph planned to respectfully break off his engagement with Mary. This is until an angel comes to him in a dream and shares a prophetic message with Joseph, too. God reveals His plan for human redemption through Jesus to Joseph. In the middle of Joseph having a dream about what to do in his situation with Mary, God gives Joseph a dream within a dream and reveals the message of Jesus.
John 1:14 (NIV) The Word (Jesus) became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father full of grace and truth.
“Whoever you may be, you need no priest or intercessor to introduce you to God, for God has introduced Himself to you.”
– Charles Spurgeon
John 3:16 (NIV) For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.
Romans 8:31 (NKJV) What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
Matthew 28:20 (NKJV) Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Amen.
