Tuesday,  December 22, 2020

 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”  

Matthew 1:20-21
“Angel Appears to Joseph” by Gaetano Gandolfi image from Pinterest

Fear.

The fire of it lashes and sears my soul and fills my mouth with smoky burnt ash. The Ancient Law given freely as gift – and now yoke – compels me to send my beloved away from me, away from her people. Even away from ADONAI, the I AM? And yet, spreading beyond the paleness of her tear-stained face is a translucence which confuses me, an image of fluttering wings quickly passing as shadow. And in her eyes a fire far different from my soul-fire flares and flickers. Not of fear, no. But something else. Something pure, grace-feathered, holy….

Fear Not.

A whispering softens the hard edges of my sleep and fluttering wings shadow my fractured dreams. The swirling mists fade and reveal another Joseph, son of another Jacob, with dreams of his own, and an unbroken cacophony of prophetic voices through the Ages slowly merging into one, chanting: “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid…”  A New Law emerges from its Ancient seed, a holy eruption bursting through boundaries of time and space and a disruption of all I have ever known, given freely as gift— and yes, yoke as well— compelling me to embrace my beloved, embrace our people. Even embrace fully, and finally, ADONAI, the I AM.

I begin the journey with a first step. One that is pure, grace-feathered, holy….

Will you walk with me?

Mark Leep