Dreams (Matthew 2)

Have you ever wondered about your next move? I'm not talking about a game of Risk - weighing your options between a blitzkrieg through Kamchatka or attempting to secure Siam to protect Australia. I'm talking about day-to-day living.
At this point in Matthew, the wise men aren't doing your "typical" day-to-day living, but you can imagine that they're going through the same daily routines as you or I would. They get up in the morning, have a good stretch, have a coffee... All the while, they are navigating their way through Herod's conspiratory plot to kill the Baby.
How do they know what to do each day? How do they know which way to turn? The answer comes in Matthew 2. They are getting their instructions in a dream. Similarly, Joseph is instructed - in a dream - to take his family back to Israel.
Why a dream? Angels have proven their effectiveness. There were prophets who could have been trusted. Why a dream?
The ESV reads, "...And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed..." We know that they reacted to a dream. Was this a shared dream? Did they trust the recipient of the dream so much that they'd act on it?
These are mysteries to me. I'm looking forward to studying this a little further. In advance of that - however - I can take solace in the fact that all of these things, (dreams included), worked together to protect the Saviour.
Just as the wise men - and Joseph - were able to trust the dream to guide them, the Bible has earned my trust to guide me.

Whose Father are You? (Matt 1:1-25)

Looking through a photo album, family tree or other such legacy-map usually gives cause for reflection and contemplation about our own part in the story which has unfolded.

In Matthew, it all begins just thusly. We are introduced (or reminded of) the lineage preceding Jesus.

It's far from glamorous. This is by design. In God's divine Wisdom, He chose the most unlikely of royal bloodlines. His family tree is filled with unlovely relationships which could have caused the "tree" to be discounted as good-for-nothing.

Jesus' birth was another example of the past not giving us an excuse for the present or future.

When you look at your own family tree, are there some sad stories? Are there some sins which have caused separation from a relationship with Him over generations? Conversely, are there stories of people in your family tree breaking the cycles of sin and/or addiction?

These stories aren't - in my opinion - celebrated enough. When you look at a family legacy in terms of a road map, consider the dramatic alteration in destination when someone chooses to put an end to violence... to addiction... It changes things - not only in their own life - but in the lives of those who come later in the family tree.

This brings me back to the title of today's blog. "Whose father are you?" Think of your place in the family tree, but don't think of it as the "end". With an eternal perspective, examine your place in your family's legacy. When you look back, what will your contribution be? Which direction did you take your family?

Most succinctly, what affect did you have on those to whom you've been entrusted? What have you taught your children about right living and relationship with Christ?

Prayer: Heavenly Father, You have given us the perfect example of fatherhood. You love us. You protect us. You teach us. Help us to follow Your Ways so that our children will follow Your Ways. Amen.