Strange Dreams – Read: Matt 1:18-25
Contemplation
A good thing about small towns is that everyone knows everyone else. The bad bit is that they all have ideas about how their neighbours should live. Mary’s pregnant. Joseph is engaged to her but knows he’s not the baby’s father. Mary’s just a girl herself, though, and Joseph wants to protect her from harsh words and bullying. Perhaps he can quietly ask her to go back to her family? He goes to bed thinking, wondering, worrying. That night, he gets a message – no ordinary message. Suddenly, he’s awake and the worry is gone. “Mary hasn’t done anything wrong. Go ahead – marry her! This child is a gift straight from God and will save us all.”
What does it feel like to hear all these nasty rumours?
Where is God for me when people say hurtful, lying things I don’t like about me or those I love?
How does it feel when I talk to Joseph? To Mary? What do they say?
How do I talk to God?
How does God talk to me?