Children’s Sermon

Matthew 1:18-25

Joseph’s Dream

By Dell Smith Klein

Have you ever had a dream? (Allow children to respond.) Yes, I’ve had dreams, too. Sometimes they were scary. Sometimes they were funny. Sometimes, they were very real. Not long ago, I learned that dreams can last for a few seconds, or as long as twenty minutes. Most people have 3 to 5 dreams per night. Most of the time, when people dream it is because their brain is trying to make sense of what happened during the day. The Holy Bible tells several stories about dreamers and about dreams and their importance. In our Bible story, today, a young man named Joseph had a dream.

You will remember the Bible story about an angel appearing to Mary. At first Mary was afraid, but then the angel told her that she would have a baby and that the baby would be the Son of God. Mary accepted what the angel told her.

Mary and Joseph were planning to be married someday. When Joseph found out that Mary was going to have a baby, he was very said. Today, we know that Mary’s baby was God’s Son, but Joseph didn’t know that. He decided that he and Mary could not get married after all.

However, when Joseph went to sleep that night, he had a dream. It was a very special dream because an angel appeared to him in the dream. “Don’t be afraid to take Mary as your wife,” the angel said. The angel went on to explain that the baby would be Jesus, who would save people from their sins. (verses 20-21)

That must have been an exciting dream. Joseph was glad that he would be Mary’s husband. And he learned that he and Mary would raise God’s Son, Jesus. The angel quoted from Isaiah when he told Joseph that Jesus name would mean, “God with us.” (Isaiah 7:14)

“Don’t be afraid to take Mary as you wife.” Joseph didn’t question the angel, or say, “Oh this is just a dream.” He believed the words the angel said. Joseph must have been glad to hear what the angel had to say. Joseph did not hesitate then. He and Mary got married and they began to plan for the time when the baby would be born. They both knew that they would name the baby Jesus just as the angel had said.

Let’s pray.

PRAYER:

Thank you, God, for dreams. And thank you for Joseph who listened when the angel spoke to him in a dream. Amen.

Scripture quotations from the World English Bible

Copyright 2012, Richard Niell Donovan