In this study we are building the material as we go.
We will create reflections together as we meet to engage with these gospel passages:
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Matthew 1:18-25: This passage describes Joseph's initial reaction to Mary's pregnancy and the angel's message to him in a dream, assuring him that the child is conceived by the Holy Spirit. Joseph follows the angel's guidance and takes Mary as his wife.
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Luke 2:1-7: Joseph travels with Mary to Bethlehem for the census, where Jesus is born.
- Matthew 2:13-23: Joseph is instructed by an angel in a dream to take Mary and Jesus to Egypt to escape King Herod's massacre of the infants. After Herod's death, Joseph is directed to return to Israel, settling in Nazareth.
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Luke 2:22-24: Joseph and Mary present Jesus at the Temple in Jerusalem, following Jewish law.
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Luke 2:41-52: Joseph and Mary search for Jesus when he stays behind in the Temple in Jerusalem at the age of twelve.
These passages provide insight into Joseph's role as a faithful and obedient guardian of Jesus and a supportive husband to Mary.
Our members are invited to curate resources which we will pool into this study material and then offer to the wider Church for future advent studies:
- Artworks created through the Digital Faith Artists | Ministries
- Reading the passages and making them into videos for the Reader Project
- Recommending books, articles, blogs, music, podcasts and videos that explore Joseph's role
- Personal reflections
- Prayers
We may also spend a session looking at the genealogy of Jesus which is listed in two places in the New Testament:
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Matthew 1:1-17: This genealogy traces Jesus' lineage through Joseph, starting from Abraham and moving forward to Jesus. It is structured to highlight three sets of fourteen generations.
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Luke 3:23-38: This genealogy traces Jesus' lineage through Joseph as well, but it starts with Jesus and goes backward all the way to Adam. This lineage is different from Matthew's and emphasizes Jesus' connection to all of humanity.
These genealogies serve to establish Jesus' heritage and fulfill the prophecies related to the Messiah's lineage. It is amazing that the Messiah's credentials can be established, not through biological blood ties, but through adoptive parentage.