Matthew 2:1-12 Because I wanted to get off to a riveting start this year, I thought we might begin with a little examination of the genealogy of Jesus. Shall we? Yes, I know. Some of you are thinking reading through the genealogy is about as riveting as reading through the card catalog. And others of you are now thinking what’s a card catalog? But, come on. It will be fun. “Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers” – and it goes on for a bit like that. Typically, genealogies in scripture contain the names of the men in the line of descent – the patriarchs. And there are plenty of them in this list. So many that most readers probably don’t even notice that Matthew has thrown a few women in. Four, to be exact. What […]
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Why Are They Here?
Matthew 2:1-12 I don’t know if you ever think about why the books of the Bible are ordered the way they are. But I can tell you one reason Matthew is first in the New Testament. Matthew is first because– of all the gospels – it most clearly and directly links the story of Jesus with the prophets of the Old Testament. Matthew is constantly saying things like, “as it was written by the prophets,” and “this was to fulfill what had been spoken through the prophet.” Matthew connects all the dots. He tells us what we need to know. Yet, as pedantic as Matthew is sometimes, he is also full of surprises at other times. Take the genealogy in Chapter 1. To which you might say, “No thanks, I’m good. You can keep it.” Nobody reads the genealogies in the Bible. They’re boring. Nobody cares about all those names. […]
Continue readingGathered In
Isaiah 60:1-6 ; Matthew 2:1-12 Today is the day of Epiphany, also known as Three Kings Day. Although the gospel of Matthew doesn’t actually say they were kings. Americans don’t get into it with the same energy as others do, but Epiphany is a big day in some parts of the world, with a whole collection of traditions around it. The king cakes, where something is hidden inside and whoever gets the piece with the prize becomes the king. Or, in some cultures it means you get to pay for the cake. There are places where children dress up as kings and go door to door singing songs and collecting sweets – sort of a cross between caroling and trick-or-treating. Epiphany, in some places is the day when gifts are exchanged – not on Christmas Day, but Epiphany Day. It marks the end of the Christmas season, 12 days long. Epiphany, like […]
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