On the Couch With God - Daily Devotional

The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham.  (Matthew 1:1) In many places in the world, practically the first thing people ask you is, “Who are your people? Where did you grow up?” They are trying to place you in the mental framework they use to understand the world. People do this to Jesus, too. Maybe that’s why God included Jesus’ genealogy right at the beginning of Matthew. Dull as it may seem, it answers the question of where Jesus came from. “Who are Your people, Jesus?” Kings and princes. Nomads and rich men. Poor women and artisans. The high and the low. “Say it again, Jesus? Who are they?” Liars and thieves (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob). Murderers and adulterers (David). The half-faithful and half-foolish (Hezekiah). Foreigners (Ruth and Rahab). Prostitutes (Rahab). Broken families (David, Uriah, Bathsheba). Child abusers (Manasseh). These are Jesus’ people. This is whom He comes from. Do they look familiar? These are our people, too. The...

Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us, just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us, it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught.  (Luke 1:1-4) Maybe Luke was thinking something like that when he wrote his introduction for Theophilus. Luke says that he is writing a narrative “of the things that have been accomplished among us.” He doesn’t say “what we did” or even “how God used us.” He puts the whole thing in the passive. Who is doing the accomplishing? Clearly it’s God. What are we doing, then? Mostly getting in the way, I suspect. And what is getting accomplished anyway, in spite of us? The coming of God into our world. The birth of God as a human baby, Jesus Christ. The beginnin...

When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, but knew her not until she had given birth to a Son. And he called His Name Jesus. (Matthew 1:24-25) I really admire Joseph. What courage he had, to simply wake up and go finalize the marriage, bringing his wife home—all on the basis of a dream. Mary and Zechariah both got to see an angel face to face. Joseph? Well, like his Old Testament namesake, he got his instructions in dreams. I think that most of us are a lot more like Joseph than like Mary in this. God speaks to us in less flamboyant ways—through the Bible, through prayer, through consultation with wise Christian friends. God makes Himself known, but He does it in ways that are easier to mistake. And we worry about that, don’t we? What if I get it wrong? What if I think God wants me to do something, and later on it turns into a disaster? We fret and worry, as if knowing God’s will were some sort of test we could scor...

And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn Son and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths and laid Him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. (Luke 2:6-7) Mary loved her baby. You can see it in her actions. She wrapped Him in swaddling clothes—these were strips of cloth that mothers used to bind their babies so they would grow up straight and strong. And of course, she wanted the best for her baby. So she must have packed them, back in Nazareth, in case of need. They weren’t silk or satin, but they were the best she could offer. Joseph loved the baby, too. We can see that by all the hard work he went to, to keep Jesus and His mother safe. Was it he who brought over the manger so that Jesus could have a safe place to sleep and Mary wouldn’t have to worry about Him? It seems likely. He couldn’t provide Jesus with a crib or cradle, but he could at least get Him off the floor. It was the best he could offer. And G...