Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, “Arise, take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word; for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him.”
When he arose, he took the young Child and His mother by night and departed for Egypt, and was there until the death of Herod, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, “Out of Egypt I called My Son.”
Now when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying, “Arise, take the young Child and His mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the young Child’s life are dead.” Then he arose, took the young Child and His mother, and came into the land of Israel.
But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea instead of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And being warned by God in a dream, he turned aside into the region of Galilee. And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, “He shall be called a Nazarene.”
—From Matthew 2:13–15, 19–23 (NKJV)

“Picture the brushstrokes of faithfulness and servanthood as Joseph worked as a carpenter to support his young family...”

— The Joy of Advent

Reflection

Today let us celebrate fathers. In liturgical traditions, Joseph has a feast day in March where families celebrate with food and togetherness. Consider making a call or sending a message today to someone who has been a model father in your life. It needn’t be your biological father—in our broken world, we recognize that the enemy has been waging a war against everything that reflects God’s beauty and design for life. As a mirror of God’s triune love, should we wonder that one of the greatest attacks is against the family structure, even the very language we use to speak about God? These areas should be some of the clearest reflections of God. If God has blessed you with a father figure like Joseph, please share this message with him, and thank him for his faithfulness. If your father figure was absent or not the reflection of God he should have been, celebrate your Heavenly Father, who is the good, good Father, perfect in all his ways.

Celebrate Together

Gather the family for today’s Celebration in our book, The Joy of Advent. Celebrate fathers today as we examine the traits Joseph exhibits, modeling God’s design for fathers, explore the Jesse Tree symbol for the flight to Egypt, discover the history behind today’s carol, and enjoy a family conversation (or private journaling) about God’s direction and our dreams.

Today’s Jesse Tree Symbol:
A **Pyramid** reminds us of God’s rescue by sending the Holy Family to Egypt.

Inspiration

Joseph’s Dream

Rembrandt, c. 1650. Joseph, who trusted in the God of dreams.

Music

Reflect as you enjoy I Wonder As I Wander what Joseph might have wondered as he traveled to Egypt. [Play Video]

Mary’s Boy Child will remind us of Joseph’s faithful protection of his family. [Play Video]

Visit our Joy of Advent YouTube playlist for featured videos, our Ultimate Christmas playlist for all our favorite carols, or our sing-along carols to enjoy karaoke style.

Prayer

O Lord,
you command me to ask,
grant that I may receive what you give.
You have told me to seek,
let me be happy in finding.
You have bidden me to knock,
I pray, open for me.
Graciously direct and govern all my thoughts and actions,
that, for the future,
I may serve you
and entirely devote myself to obeying you.
Accept me,
and draw me to yourself,
that I may henceforth be yours
by obedience and love,
since I am already yours,
as your creature.
Yours, O Lord,
you live and reign forever and ever.