Sementes

Today I was reminded of the word "sementes" which means "seeds" in Portuguese, from a Latin root and from which comes the word "semen". This reminds me that though Jesus had the earthly father Joseph, significantly descended from Abraham and King David (see Matthew 1:1-16), Mary did not conceive through sex with Joseph. Angel Gabriel (Luke 1:26) told Mary, "The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God" (Luke 1:35). The angel further told Joseph, "...do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because who is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit ... When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus" (Matthew 1:20, 24-25). Now look at the Trinity being in operation when we receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit - " ... the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, Abba, Father" (Romans 8:15). We become a part of the body of Christ, a spiritual descendant of His and, as such, we can also call God our Father. What a wonderful blessing to be related to that family!