December 3, 2019
Scripture Matthew 1:1-17
An account of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham.
Matthew 1:1 NRSV
The writer of Matthew has several points to drive home throughout first Gospel in the New Testament. One of them is about the covenant of God. Human beings, who were created by God, broke this binding obligation between humankind and God. Despite this, God has not abandoned us. Amazingly, God sent his son, Jesus Christ, into the world to drive home the point, redeeming us in this unique and amazing way. Beginning with the story of Christmas, we better understand the essence of God through the life and ministry of Jesus.
In relating the story of the Gospel, the writer of Matthew wanted everyone to know that God was seeking these imperfect Gentiles, those people unrelated to the Jewish faith. Many of us must remind ourselves that all of us without a Jewish heritage are Gentiles. With this in mind, this rather odd list of ancestors kicks off this first book of the New Testament. And, these themes of outreach and redemption extend throughout the narrative in Matthew. The genealogy of Jesus is imperfect, just like the human beings whom God seeks to redeem.
As we begin this season of Advent, we recognize that it is a time of preparation: reviewing our relationship with God and with one another. In less than four weeks, we will celebrate the birth of Jesus. Because of God’s intentional outreach to us, we welcome Jesus who is Lord and Savior- for all people.
Stan Reid