Month: January 2016

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PWTE Daily Devotion

Life in the Real World

Jesus understands our struggles as he experienced them in his own family.

You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking on this SoundCloud link.

“So then, since we have a great High Priest
who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God,
let us hold firmly to what we believe.
This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses,
for he faced all of the same testings we do,
yet he did not sin.”
Hebrews 4:14-15 New Living Translation

The holy family existed in the real world, surrounded by shepherds and critters. I can’t imagine them staying long in the stable.

January 04Maybe they stayed there through Mary’s days of purification and before Jesus’ circumcision eight days later. However, whether they were in the stable or in the guest room, reality surrounded the family of three.

Jesus needed to be nursed. Diapers required changing. Joseph had to work to provide for his new family. This is the stuff of life and Jesus experienced it in the context of a family.

Though Jesus is the perfect Son of God, Mary and Joseph were not perfect parents. They were not chosen by God because of the sinless lives. In the context of his family, Jesus faced the real world. Mary and Joseph would come together as husband and wife and have other children.

So like all families, Jesus grew up in a dysfunction home. I say this because of the sin that affected every other member of Jesus’ family.

The Jesus that you worship and adore understands growing up in a family like yours. He understands our weaknesses because he experienced it, yet without sin. He can empathize with your struggles. He’s been there.

Was Mary depressed? Did Joseph have problems with anger? Were his siblings jealous? We don’t know. But we do know that real world surrounded him. And on the cross he gave up his life for his dysfunctional family and ours.

Why? Because he loves us and those in our households.

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Copyright Douglas P Brauner

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PWTE Daily Devotion

It’s All about Faith

Faith in God holds relationships together.

You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking on this SoundCloud link.

“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for,
the conviction of things not seen.”
Hebrews 11:1 English Standard Version

Back track.

You’ll noticed that there’s no baby in the manger…again. Let’s think for a moment about the relationship between Joseph and Mary.

January 03First, there is their age difference. Now granted, there is nothing stated in the Bible about their age but it’s quite possible that Joseph is much older than Mary. They are two people who come at life from two different perspectives. Joseph has been seasoned by life. Mary is only beginning to experience life.

Then there’s this baby. Okay, so Mary isn’t pregnant by another man. Does it make it any easier that it is from the Holy Spirit? We somehow get this impression that everything was smooth sailing for this couple following the visitation of the angel to both Mary and Joseph.

They weren’t married.  Mary’s pregnant. They make a long journey to Bethlehem. You’re going to tell me that there weren’t rough spots for this couple?

Both Mary and Joseph displayed faith in the Word of God proclaimed by the angel.

It’s interesting to think that their faith in the promise of God affected their relationship with each other. It is true that the Bible doesn’t address the issue of the holy couple’s marital relationship but look at the details of the story. Mary goes with Joseph. Joseph provides a place for Mary to give birth. They make a long trip to Egypt then settle in Nazareth.

And, most importantly, they raise the Christ child.

Janice and I have faced some very difficult and challenging situations in our marriage (and more will be coming since we are two sinners). I can honestly write, that, but by the grace of God and faith in the One who has redeemed us, we continue to persevere.

It begins (and ends) with faith in the One who has come for us. Life is about faith.

Copyright Douglas P Brauner

Categories
PWTE Daily Devotion

The Problem of Being Dad

What does Joseph have to teach Jesus?

You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking on this SoundCloud link.

“And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom.
And the favor of God was upon him.”
Luke 2:40 English Standard Version

Whereas it seems that mothering comes easy for many women (I know there are those of you who will dispute this statement), for the majority of us guys, fatherhood does not come quite so easily.

January 02We could probably argue the various reasons for this phenomenon. It might be the confusing role of dad in today’s culture (disciplinarian, buddy, chief homework guy), or laziness (“Hey! Mom is better at changing diapers than I am.”). Joseph’s struggles were unique.

How do you father the Son of God?  

Joseph had something to teach his Son. He taught him how to be a carpenter. Because of the scarcity of trees in and around Nazareth there are those who believe that Joseph’s skill was being a stone mason. And it is this skill that he passed on to Jesus.

Being the sinless Son of God didn’t mean that he knew how to do everything. There is nothing sinful about cutting a rock incorrectly (at least I don’t think so).

If Jesus learned the skill of carpentry from his father, are we willing to learn the skill of life from Jesus?

No one can teach us what it means to truly live as Jesus can teach us. There might have been a few painful lessons for Jesus to learn from his stepdad about carpentry. There are painful things that we need to learn about life (like picking up our cross and following Jesus). But who better to teach us than Jesus himself.

And where do we learn about life? We learn about life from the book that, from beginning to end, points to the baby born for us.

Copyright Douglas P Brauner