Cancelled celebrations, a father-and-son mountain trip postponed again and again, plans buried by the pandemic, this is not how the year was supposed to look. Joseph of Nazareth felt much the same when his dreams of a quiet family life fell apart, and God, in a way he could not understand, began writing His great story through Joseph’s life (Matthew 1). The sermon shows that what at first does not look like good news at all can become the beginning of God’s blessing, if we respond with faith and obedience. Listen and see that even the hardest year can become a year of transformation.
Discussion questions
For your small group or for personal reflection after the sermon.
- What situation did Joseph find himself in when he learned Mary was pregnant, and what could such a situation lead to in Judea at that time?
- What does it say about Joseph that, as a righteous man, he planned to divorce Mary quietly, yet then did what the angel told him even though it was harder?
- What do the names Jesus (the Lord saves) and Immanuel (God with us) mean to you in light of a year that did not turn out the way we planned?
- The speaker told of Gabrysia and Sylwek, whose house burned down, which became the start of blessing. When has something that did not look like good news at first become the beginning of good change in your life?
- Joseph faced a choice: do things his own way or trust God, though he understood little. In what area are you facing a similar dilemma of faith and obedience today?
- Who could you tell your story of faith and transformation to this week, perhaps by writing it down, and what holds you back from doing it?
