John Fischer The Catch

Sometimes he can go through a whole morning without ever thinking about it. In so many ways Jesus was just a normal almost seven-year-old kid playing soccer with his friends in the street. But then he’ll pull a move like he just did, and Joseph will wonder, How did he do that? What was that move he just put on the ball that sent it suddenly going in another direction, right to Nathaniel for a goal? Never seen anything like it. And his father watched as Jesus jumped all over Nathaniel as if he was the hero when all along it was where Jesus put the ball, and how he got it there, that did it. A three-year-old could have made that kick.

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My Catch hit so close to home yesterday that it never got out. I had already decided to explore what we could learn this Christmas season from the life of Joseph, not expecting to find out right off the bat that Joseph blew it in a way that was similar to how I have been blowing it most of my life. And the more I studied it, the deeper and more painful it got, and the more I had to struggle with, “Can I say that?” By the time I was out of spiritual “surgery” it was too late to get the Catch out. On top of that, our Blogtalkradio guest dropped out at the last minute, so yesterday was a day that seemed to never end. Hopefully, the result of all that extra effort on the Catch will benefit many men and women who will find value in this, and want to print it up for their friends in the Christian community.

This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.

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 1:18-21)

“Thank you, Lord, but couldn’t you have told me this a little sooner? I almost had her put away.”

“I did … I told Mary.”

“Well, sure,” nudge, nudge, “but you know women.”

“I sure do,” nudge, nudge, “so why didn’t you listen to her?” (Matthew 1:22b-d, JDV John’s Desktop Version)

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Today’s Catch comes from a story by one of our regular readers that was inspired by yesterday’s Catch about silver bells. We appreciate it so much when you share your stories with us, and, as much as possible, we like to share them with everyone.

I also want to take this opportunity to remind you all about Church at the Catch, Sunday at 6pm Pacific. Through the magic of technology, you can log onto facebook.com/thecatch and watch and participate. Join us this weekend. Even if you have your own church to go to on Sunday morning, make us your Sunday night church! Do like my daughter-in-law does: she sets the alarm on her smart phone for 5:55pm Sunday so she won’t forget. Time for church!

Also, don’t forget to make use of our Prayer Warriors. They are literally standing by for you!

I love the sound of bells ringing at Christmas time — church bells chiming, bell choirs ringing, Salvation Army Santas jingling. Songs about bells this time of year are especially meaningful to me since I can’t see the brightness that twinkly lights proclaim to a world of darkness. Bells do for me through their sound what lights do in the dark for those who see.

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It’s December, and the city stoplights are already blinking a bright red and green. I don’t know how they know how to do that, but suddenly, every December, they do. One of these years, I’m going to stay up all night and study those street lights just to see if I can find out at what point they switch to the bright red and green of Christmas. It’s like magic. It’s as if the stoplights know, just like the snow knows when to crunch, and the kids know when to bunch because Santa’s big day is just around the corner. We’ve turned the calendar page on November. There are no more pages to turn. This is it. It’s Christmas time in the city.

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