HE+ was PROCLAIMED # 5 ... Via the RIGHTEOUSNESS of His+ GUARDIAN, Joseph ... Advent Meditations 2015 ... For the Monastic-At-Heart

Matthew 1: 18 -25

Now the birth of JESUS CHRIST 

was on this wise: 

When as His+ mother Maryam (Aramaic/Syriac) 

was espoused to Joseph, 

before they came together, 

she was found with CHILD+ 

of the HOLY SPIRIT.

Then Joseph 

her GOWRA, her guardian-husband (Aramaic/Syriac), 

being a RIGHTEOUS man, 

and not willing to make her a public example, 

was minded to put her away privily.

But of these things he was considering (Gk, literal)  

behold, the angel of the LORD 

appeared unto him in a dream, 

saying,

 Joseph, thou son of David, 

fear not to take unto thee Mariam (Gk) thy wife:

for THE ONE+ in her 

has been generated ( a one-time occurence) 

from out of the SPIRIT 

is HOLY. 

(Greek, awkward but literal)

And she shall bring forth a  SON+,

 and thou shalt call His+ Name 

JESUS:

for HE+ shall save His+ people    

from their sins.

Now all this was done, 

that it might be fulfilled 

which was spoken of the LORD 

by the prophet, saying,

Behold, 

a virgin shall be with CHILD+, 

and shall bring forth a  SON+,

and they shall call His+ Name EMMANUEL, 

which being interpreted is,

GOD WITH US.

Then Joseph being raised from sleep 

did as the angel of the LORD had bidden him, 

and took unto him his wife:

And knew her not 

till she had brought forth 

her firstborn son:

and he called  His+ Name 

JESUS.

Heart-breaking ! Our dear brother Joseph, what troubled thoughts he must have endured for several  hours after Mariam's condition was discovered.

However, Joseph was of the line of David as well as Mariam. Joseph ALSO was CHOSEN of GOD --- as well as Mariam ---  for his purpose during the Incarnation of CHRIST JESUS.

The Syriac-Aramaic Peshitta text records Matthew 1:16 like this:

"Jacob fathered Joseph, 

the guardian of Maryam, 

from whom 

was born Y'SHU+, 

Who+ is called the M'SHIKHA. " 

Later, in verse 19, Joseph is called Mariam's ba-al, or husband.

But the Syriac Text, which dates back to the early centuries of Christendom, tells us that Joseph was indeed functioning as a GUARDIAN for the first nine months of their marriage !

Joseph was chosen because young Mariam needed a human guardian to cover her as she carried the Divine BABE+ in her womb. Both Mariam and the BABE+  needed to be protected from the zealous righteous ones who would stone a Hebrew woman who was with child, without a husband.

When The LORD selected Joseph to protect Mariam and the Divine BABE+ in her womb, HE knew the kind of man Joseph was... and was not.

Let's ponder the righteousness exhibited by Joseph in this most trying circumstance... which, indeed, is where righteousness counts.

First of all, righteous Joseph was not willing to marry a "loose" woman who had defiled herself; he maintained the righteous standards of the Mosaic Law.

Although maintaining the Scriptural standard of righteousness, Joseph was also not willing to expose the young woman to public scorn and shunning, at best, and possible stoning. Thus, we see in Joseph that true righteousness is guided by mercy.

In a quandry, Joseph was not hasty in action, but was pondering WHAT was the right way to be righteous-yet-merciful in this harrowing situation. Joseph's integrity held him bound to doing the right thing by GOD and avoiding taking vengeance for the supposed immoral conduct of his un-faithful, betrothed wife.

In his integrity, Joseph was also bound to do that which was best for the young woman who disappointed him in her betrothal vows. 

So, Joseph's decision was this: 

He would keep the standard of righteousness, but  Joseph would "put her away" ( dismiss her, sever the betrothal bond ) privately, to cause her and the child the least amount of wounding.  

Now ... how Joseph would have been able to end the legal, public espousal covenant without exposing Mariam's condition is a puzzlement.  

Would Joseph have been able to take her to another village and legally perform the divorce, and thus keep her hidden ?

The literal Greek places the adverb "secretly" between two verbs:

"... he purposed SECRETLY to dismiss her."

Could that phrase possibly be rendered with this alternative meaning ? :

Joseph secretly determined 

( i.e., without asking counsel of another person 

or telling anyone ) 

that he would divorce her.

The LORD, however, provided  evidence to Joseph before he contacted the elders to divorce her. The LORD sent a SUPERNATURAL  dream, re-assuring Joseph that Mariam was still chaste, and in her obedience, she was chosen to carry the Long-Awaited MESSIAH.

Chaste Joseph responded 

WITH A SIMILAR level 

of faith and obedience 

to the Living Word of The LORD

unto him ! 

To his great credit, Joseph believed the Word of The LORD to him in that dream. He obeyed immediately without question... just like Mariam obeyed immediately without question. 

Joseph directly took Mariam into his home and  covered her and the BABE+ in her womb, providing for them and guarding them through nine long months of pregnancy amongst their fellow townspeople.

He took her with him on the long journey to Bethlehem during the taxation of Ceasar Augustus, which required both of them to be present at the registration for taxation, as it seemingly is phrased in Scripture. Luke 2:5. 

This man of integrity did not claim the rights of a husband until after the BABE+ had been born.

So, not only was Joseph a righteous man of the Law, he was also a man of integrity:  GOD did not have to tell him to wait until after the BABE+ was born in order to consummate the marriage. 

Joseph was compassionate as well as righteous, and walked in integrity without being commanded to do so.

In all this, 

Who 

was Joseph proclaiming?

Surely, Joseph did NOT proclaim SELF. Self was NOT on the throne through any of those mysterious days and months.

Joseph set to his seal that GOD IS TRUE and worthy to be trusted. 

Our own integrity, our standards, our compassion should testify that ... 

JESUS CHRIST 

has come 

in the flesh. 

We, like Joseph, PROCLAIM HIM+  to the World by our life ... a life lived in integrity, GOD-centered standards, CHRIST-centered compassion.  

We do RIGHT because 

of OUR LOVE FOR HIM+,

Who+ always did right 

because of His+ Love 

for His+ Heavenly FATHER... 

... and His+ love for us. 

Let us Pray: 

O FATHER ALMIGHTY, we bless THEE for Thy great power, established in Righteousness, established in Holiness. 

Help us to PROCLAIM the CHRIST+ CHILD as HE+ becomes Incarnate in our hearts by faith.  Teach us to stand firm in Thy Truth, and with Compassion and Integrity walk in righteousness all the days of our lives. 

Change whatever is amiss in the temper and disposition of our souls, 

For the sake of the INCARNATED CHRIST Who+ lives and reigns with THEE, and Thy Blessed HOLY SPIRIT, ONE GOD, both now and forever, world without end, to the ages of the ages. 

Amen.

     

HE+ was PROCLAIMED #4... By a BABY ! ... Advent meditations 2015 ... for the Monastic-At-Heart

Luke 1:15 

~Words of the angel Gabriel to Zacharias, the Priest, regarding his promised son, John the Baptist ~

For he shall be great

in the sight of the LORD

and shall drink neither 

wine nor strong drink;

and he shall be filled 

with the HOLY SPIRIT,

even from his mother’s womb.

  

Luke 1:41-44

And it came to pass, that, 

when Elisabeth heard

 the salutation of Mary,

the babe leaped in her womb;

and Elisabeth was filled

with the HOLY SPIRIT

And she spake out with a loud voice, 

and said,

Blessed art thou among women,

and blessed is

 the FRUIT+ of thy womb.

And whence is this to me,

that the mother of my LORD

should come to me?

For, lo, as soon as

the voice of thy salutation sounded

in mine ears,

the babe leaped in my womb for joy.

Do we do as well as babe-in-the-womb, John the Baptist ?

Do we bear evidence of following JESUS... without opening our mouths ?

This babe in the womb recognized his LORD+ ... while our LORD was in the womb! The anointed human baby recognized the Divine Baby.

Mute, still, but very much alive, those babies-in-the-womb communicated by The HOLY SPIRIT the instant Mary's mouth issued forth a salutation.

Even with such limitations as being a babe in the womb, John bore witness to the CHRIST-child ... before either was born.

But, we are born and re-born from Above. How much witness do we bear, in this born and re-born state?  

We walk, we talk, we move about through our daily tasks, but how much witness do we bear for CHRIST, to the visible ones and --- possibly more importantly  --- to the invisible beings ?

Can any being know at a glance that we follow CHRIST JESUS ? 

The unseen unclean spirits know.

Those unseen watchers who dog our path know exactly what we are doing and thinking ( a scary thought )! They know they can hurt us if we are following our flesh even merely in our thinking.

They hurl "thoughts" at us and TRY to make us agree with them instead of with The LORD JESUS and His+ Holy Word.

Those unclean beings wait to trip us and lure us away from HIM+ , even for a moment. Then, they can hurt us. 

With great preciseness, they know our weak spots and how to derail us with bitterness, self-pity, and ancestral family spirits. 

They know where 

we do not stand.

They KNOW when we yearn after things for which The LORD has said, "NO!"

They also know this: 

When we RENOUNCE 

the family spirits 

and all other unclean thoughts and feelings, 

in the POWER-FILLED Name 

of JESUS CHRIST our LORD.

These unclean beings know when we repent of listening to their lies ( such as, " You are so mistreated, again, like you always have been." ).  They hate to see us repent of agreeing with those lies hurled at us by the unclean ones themselves.

They know we have power over them through the Blood of JESUS CHRIST our LORD. 

They also know 

when 

we do NOT use it. 

Now, what about others, our fellow humans we are around daily? Can anyone know at a glance that we follow CHRIST JESUS ?

"Preach the Gospel constantly; if necessary, use words,"  according to Brother Francis of Assisi. 

Can people who do not know us watch us for 5 minutes and realize we follow JESUS ... without us opening our mouth ?

If not, let us remedy that. Let us seek The LORD to see what we need to change. 

If a mute and still babe in the womb can bear witness to CHRIST JESUS in joy, surely, surely, we have enough of the HOLY SPIRIT to also leap for joy at the mention of JESUS.

What is stopping us… 

or rather,  

Who ? 

Let us Pray:

O Gracious Heavenly FATHER, help me to leap for joy when I hear Thy+ Word to me.

Grant me a singleness of eye, I beseech THEE, to follow Thy+ HOLY SON+ JESUS totally and without distraction.

Without a word spoken, like this babe, help me to give evidence of THEE+ to all the watchers, both seen and unseen.

In the Name of Thy+ Beloved Son+ JESUS CHRIST , Whose+ Coming will make us leap for joy forever and ever, we pray. Amen

HE+ Was PROCLAIMED #3 ... By an EMPTYING of Self... Advent Meditations 2015 for the Monastic-At-Heart

Luke 1:26-27, Greek

And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel 

was sent from GOD 

unto a city of Galilee, 

named Nazareth,

To a virgin being espoused to a man 

whose name was Joseph, 

from the house of David; 

and the virgin’s name was 

Mariam.

Luke 1:35-38 , Greek

And the angel answered 

and said unto her,

The HOLY SPIRIT shall come 

upon thee,

and the power of the Highest 

shall overshadow thee:

therefore also the ONE+ 

being born of you HOLY

 shall be called the SON+ of GOD.

And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth,

she hath also conceived 

a son in her old age:

 and this is the sixth month

 with her, who was called sterile.

For with GOD nothing 

shall be impossible.

And Mariam said,

Behold the handmaid of the LORD;

be it unto me according to thy word.

And the angel departed from her.

Could young Mariam have refused to carry The Hebrew MESSIAH+ ?

Yes.

Mariam was not divine; she was simply Adamic, of the human line of David. She had as much free-will to obey or disobey the Word of the LORD to her as we do. 

At that moment in time, she yielded her entire being to GOD. Her life was instantly changed, and that, for all time.

Her purpose in life was instantly re-directed, instantly re-routed, with no going back.

We all know that Mother-Hood does indeed change a person. Now there is a tiny human being who is totally helpless except for the help Mother gives him. He is totally vulnerable except for the protection of Mother.

But, Mariam's change was greater.

She emptied her life 

in an instant.

Being well-trained in the Commandments of GOD, she knew her life --- as she had hopefully planned it --- was over. Hebrew girls were stoned to death if they were with child without a husband.

This particular young Hebrew virgin accepted GOD'S Will for her life,  turning her care and well-being over to GOD.  Her heart was in accord with Job's words: Even though HE slay me, yet will I trust HIM , Job 13:15a.

If GOD asked great things of her, could she not trust HIM to take care of her through it all ?

Likewise, if The LORD asks an obedience of us, are we willing to empty our lives for HIM+ ?

It is a sure thing that GOD will not share the throne with Self.

How do we come to such a state, where the LORD will ask us to empty our lives for HIM+ ?

We practice.

We practice individually, within the secret place of our hearts.

We practice daily and hourly, if need be.

We practice 

EMPTYING ourselves 

for HIM+.

  

We shun all leadings of Self to aggrandize itself. Rather, we turn to The LORD in humility, asking His+ help to forsake our natural Self-interest.

We practice by training ourselves to STOP OUR DAY in order to worship HIM+ throughout... be it 5 minutes on the hour or some other similar discipline.

We practice yielding 

to His+ Will

… in every SMALL matter, 

through the day.

That is how we monastic-at-heart train ourselves and practice obedience.

Little is written about Mariam's growing-up years or training. Little is written about her adult years that would warrant adulation.

Aside from her carrying The Divine Babe+ in her virgin womb, Sister Mariam's greatest gift to mankind is her example of yielded, total obedience to the Word of GOD, the WORD+ made flesh Who+ dwelt among us.

Let us Pray:

O Life-Giving LORD JESUS, I empty my life out for THEE+.

Fill me with Thy+ Blessed SPIRIT, so that I may learn to please THEE+ in every small matter, that I may be closer to THEE+. Prune away the warped areas, O LORD, and train me to go in the way THOU+ dost will.   

Here is my empty Self; take it for Thy+ good pleasure, O LORD JESUS.

I thank THEE+, O CHRIST, for even wanting me. I join myself  to THEE+ in love.

Holy, Holy, Holy 

LORD GOD ALMIGHTY

WHO+ is, 

WHO+ was, 

and WHO+ is to come.

Maranatha. 

Come, LORD JESUS.  

Amen 

HE+ Came to BE PROCLAIMED... By a MIGHTY ONE... Advent Meditations 2015... for the Monastic-At-Heart

Who was the first to PROCLAIM The LORD'S Coming ?

Luke 1:19

And the angel answering said

unto [ John the baptist],  him

I am Gabriel,

that stand in

the Presence of GOD;

and am sent to speak unto thee,

and to shew

thee these glad tidings.

An angel ! A "MIGHTY ONE OF GOD" was sent to proclaim the Coming of the MESSIAH+ !  Angel-to-man, face to face, Gabriel --- whose very name means "Mighty one of GOD" --- proclaimed these glad tidings to an astonished priest in the Temple at Jerusalem.

Gabriel, who IS    STILL   STANDING in the Presence of GOD, was specifically sent to announce this GOOD news:

NOW the appointed time had arrived for the advent of the Jewish MESSIAH+ Who+ was to Redeem Israel.

This news was the "GLAD TIDINGS" this Divine Messenger, Gabriel, was sent from before the Presence of GOD to bring to this earthly priest of the lineage of Aaron and Levi. 

Gabriel appeared to Zachariah (KJV: Zacharias), this humble and righteous priest as Zachariah performed his role in the Temple at Jerusalem to burn incense.

This Divine Messenger sent directly from the Throne Room of The LORD spoke to Zachariah about the role he, Zachariah, would perform in the Coming of the MESSIAH+,  our LORD JESUS.

 

Luke 1: 13-16

But the Angel said unto him,

Fear not, Zacharias: 

for thy prayer is heard; 

and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, 

and thou shalt call his name John.

And thou shalt have joy and gladness; 

and many shall rejoice at his birth.

For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, 

and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; 

and he shall be filled with the HOLY SPIRIT, 

even from his mother’s womb.

And many of the children of Israel 

shall he turn to the LORD their GOD.

Luke 1:17

And he [ John the Baptist, the son of Zacahriah ] shall go before HIM+

in the spirit and power of Elijah,

to turn the hearts

of the fathers to the children,

and the disobedient

to the wisdom of the just;

to make ready

a people prepared for the LORD.

Gabriel faithfully performed the proclamation to Zachariah the priest of his role to prepare a People for The LORD, the Coming MESSIAH+. 

Zachariah, humble and righteous as he was (Luke 1:6) , met the Angel's  announcement with unbelief, which only lasted a few seconds until he was struck dumb and judgment was pronounced upon him for his lack of faith.

Now, we KNOW our Righteous and Holy LORD is totally all-knowing and totally fair in all His Ways. The LORD knew Zachariah was troubled and feared ( Luke 1:12) at Gabriel's announcement.

The LORD graciously allowed Gabriel to address those fears, showing Zachariah that his prayers had been heard and answered. 

Obviously, only The LORD could hear prayers of the heart; only The LORD could address them. 

Zachariah would also know full well the account of Abraham and Sarah having a child of the Promise when they were past the years of child-bearing.

Thus, our All-knowing and Always Fair LORD knew Zachariah  COULD HAVE CHOSEN TO BELIEVE  the Angel sent to him.   Zachariah had enough witness and comforting words to know this angelic being was Divinely sent by The LORD.

Zacharias CHOSE

NOT to believe.

The LORD knew what Zacharias chose.

HE+ knows 

what we choose, too.

Daily. Hourly. In every instance. With every thought.  In every conversation, HE+ knows our choice: The LORD... or ... Self,  faith ... or ... unbelief,  Righteousness ... or ... sin.   

Let us Pray:

O LORD  GOD, Ruler of the Universe, forgive me for my deliberate choices made apart from Thy+ Will.  I know better.

Thy+ Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. I have no excuse for choosing Self, Sin, Un-righteousness in any form.

Cleanse me of my self-will; I do not demand more proof of Thy+ Love and Thy+ Care for me. I can walk rightly before THEE+, O  GOD,  with what I have at my fingertips: Thy+ Holy Word. 

In Thy+ Light, can I see LIGHT+. 

Help my eye to be single, that my being may be full of Light,  O LIGHT+ of the World, CHRIST JESUS.

In Whose+ Name and by Whose+ Grace I even exist.

Amen.