Advent Reflection for December 13, 2012

THURSDAY  Genesis 37:1-11, 39:6-10, 41:39-43

• In Bible times, parents usually chose names that captured the character they hoped and prayed their child would develop. What traits from his great namesake in the Hebrew past could a humble working man like Joseph emulate and live into?

• Do you bear a name associated with some admirable person, either in your own family or from history? If so, what qualities does that name suggest to you? What qualities is God working into your character through the challenges and opportunities you face in life? In what ways do you want your “name” to be remembered?

Today’s response by Linda Dochter:

In Bible times, parents usually chose names that captured the character they prayed their child would grow up to be. The parents of Joseph, the adopted father of Jesus, were no exception. We learn about his namesake, Joseph, in the readings for today from Genesis. In the first passage, God speaks directly to OT Joseph in a dream indicating that he is one who has been set aside for a special purpose. In the second passage, Potiphar demonstrated that he deemed Joseph to be trustworthy as he “gave Joseph complete administrative responsibility over everything he owned.”. In the last passage, we see that  Joseph was viewed by Pharoah to be “filled with the spirit of God”. Being set aside, trustworthy and filled with the Spirit of God are admirable traits for Joseph’s namesake in the New Testament.

My name is Linda Marie. I was not named for anyone in particular.  For a long time, I thought I had that name only because it was popular the year I was born. It is a Spanish and a French name put together and has several different translations. The one that means the most to me is “beautiful wished for child.” My mother told me she had that name picked out for her first girl long before I was ever born. She certainly made me know that I was “wished for” and that is a beautiful feeling.

It’s the Advent season. Do you feel “wished for”?  Tell someone that they are “wished for” in your life just as Jesus “wishes for” you to be a part of His every day.