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WE PRAY

Almighty God, you gave us your only Son, who took on our humanity and was born of a young woman, pure in heart. Help us—your children, reborn through your grace and love—to be renewed each day by the power of your Holy Spirit. We pray this through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

WE READ

The gospel text for today isn’t the most exciting read. In fact, I would venture to guess that most folks skip over the jumble of names contained in the genealogy Matthew presents. Why in the world would Matthew start with Jesus ’genealogy? Paper was expensive, so authors made every inch of a manuscript count, going so far as to smush words and sentences together to save space. By including Jesus ’genealogy, it is apparent that Matthew understood Jesus ’lineage to be of significant importance. By including the list, Matthew sought to demonstrate Jesus ’full Jewishness, connecting him to others throughout history who played significant roles in Israel ’s history. It’s as if Matthew is saying, “Now, look here, this Jesus fellow is legitimate. He’s the latest and final step in God ’s work through Israel for the sake of the world.” In other words, Jesus doesn’t come out of left field, seeking to start a brand new work, unconnected to God ’s promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. As much as you might be tempted, especially given the excitement that is sure to surround you, don’t just skip over Jesus ’genealogy. Take a moment to look up the names in the list and read about how God worked through them.
In Psalm 89 and Isaiah 59, we hear Israel clinging to God’s promises—promises that find new and surprising fulfillment in the Gospel reading, as Matthew introduces us to Jesus through his family tree.. In Psalm 89, God’s covenantal promises are directed toward King David. The promise is fulfilled as we celebrate Jesus ’birth, who comes from the line of David. Verse 21 of Isaiah 59 expresses Israel’s belief that God ’s covenant with Israel will endure forever, sealed by the gift of the Spirit.
Today’s passages largely stress the continuity of God’s care and protection for Israel. While Jesus sits fully within God’s covenantal relationship with Israel, ensuring continuity, Jesus expresses and fulfills that covenant in a new way. Reading Philippians 2 is one of the best ways to understand who Jesus is and what Jesus came to do. In Jesus, God took on human form and emptied himself so that you, I, and all of creation might find life —and life abundantly.

Psalm 89:1–29

1 I will sing of the Lord ’s loyal love forever.
I will proclaim your faithfulness
with my own mouth
from one generation to the next.
2 That’s why I say,
“Your loyal love is rightly built—forever!
You establish your faithfulness
in heaven.”
3 You said, “I made a covenant
with my chosen one;
I promised my servant David:
4‘ I will establish your offspring forever;
I will build up your throne from one
generation to the next. ’
5 Heaven thanks you
for your wondrous acts, Lord—
for your faithfulness too—
in the assembly of the holy ones.
6 Is there any in the sky
who could compare to the Lord?
Who among the gods
is equal to the Lord?
7 God is respected
in the council of the holy ones;
God is awesome and revered
more than all those around him.
8 Who is like you,
Lord God of heavenly forces?
Mighty Lord, your faithfulness
surrounds you!
9 You rule over the surging sea:
When its waves rise up,
it ’s you who makes them still.
10 It ’s you who crushed Rahab
like a dead body;
you scattered your enemies
with your strong arm.
11 Heaven is yours! The earth too!
The world and all that fills it—
you made all of it!
12 North and south—you created them!
The mountains Tabor and Hermon
shout praises to your name.
13 You have a powerful arm;
your hand is strong;
your strong hand is raised high!
14 Your throne is built
on righteousness and justice;
loyal love and faithfulness
stand in front of you.
15 The people who know the celebratory
shout are truly happy!
They walk in the light of your presence,
Lord!
16 They rejoice in your name all day long
and are uplifted
by your righteousness
17 because you are the splendor
of their strength.
By your favor you make us strong
18 because our shield is the Lord ’s own;
our king belongs
to the holy one of Israel!
19 Once you spoke in a vision
to your faithful servants:
I placed a crown on a strong man.
I raised up someone specially chosen
from the people.
20 I discovered my servant David.
I anointed him with my holy oil.
21 My hand will sustain him—
yes, my arm will strengthen him!
22 No enemy will oppress him;
no wicked person will make him suffer.
23 I will crush all his foes in front of him.
I will strike down
all those who hate him.
24 My faithfulness and my loyal love
will be with him.
He will be strengthened by my name.
25 I will set his hand on the sea.
I will set his strong hand on the rivers.
26 He will cry out to me:
“You are my father,
my God, the rock of my salvation.”
27 Yes, I’ll make him the one born first—
I’ll make him the high king
of all earth ’s kings.
28 I will always guard my loyal love
toward him.
My covenant with him will last forever.
29 I will establish his dynasty for all time.
His throne will last
as long as heaven does.

Isaiah 59:15–21

15 Truth is missing;
anyone turning from evil
is plundered.
The Lord looked and was upset
at the absence of justice.
16 Seeing that there was no one,
and astonished that
no one would intervene,
God ’s arm brought victory,
upheld by righteousness,
17 putting on righteousness as armor
and a helmet of salvation on his head,
putting on garments of vengeance,
and wrapping himself in a cloak of zeal.
18 God will repay
according to their actions:
wrath to his foes,
retribution to enemies,
retribution to the coastlands,
19 so those in the west
will fear the Lord’s name,
and those in the east
will fear God ’s glory.
It will come like a rushing river
that the Lord’s wind drives on.
20 A redeemer will come to Zion
and to those in Jacob
who stop rebelling,
says the Lord.
21 As for me, this is my covenant
with them, says the Lord.
My spirit, which is upon you,
and my words, which I have placed
in your mouth
won’t depart from your mouth,
nor from the mouths
of your descendants,
nor from the mouths
of your descendants ’children,
says the Lord,
forever and always.

Philippians 2:5–11

5 Adopt the attitude that was in Christ Jesus:
6 Though he was in the form of God,
he did not consider being equal
with God something to exploit.
7 But he emptied himself
by taking the form of a slave
and by becoming like human beings.
When he found himself
in the form of a human,
8 he humbled himself by becoming
obedient to the point of death,
even death on a cross.
9 Therefore, God highly honored him
and gave him a name above all names,
10 so that at the name of Jesus everyone
in heaven, on earth,
and under the earth might bow
11 and every tongue confess
that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Matthew 1:1–25

1 A record of the ancestors of Jesus Christ, son of David, son of Abraham:
2 Abraham was the father of Isaac.
Isaac was the father of Jacob.
Jacob was the father of Judah and his brothers.
3 Judah was the father of Perez and Zerah,
whose mother was Tamar.
Perez was the father of Hezron.
Hezron was the father of Aram.
4 Aram was the father of Amminadab.
Amminadab was the father of Nahshon.
Nahshon was the father of Salmon.
5 Salmon was the father of Boaz, whose
mother was Rahab.
Boaz was the father of Obed, whose
mother was Ruth.
Obed was the father of Jesse.
6 Jesse was the father of David the king.
David was the father of Solomon,
whose mother had been the wife of Uriah.
7 Solomon was the father of Rehoboam.
Rehoboam was the father of Abijah.
Abijah was the father of Asaph.
8 Asaph was the father of Jehoshaphat.
Jehoshaphat was the father of Joram.
Joram was the father of Uzziah.
9 Uzziah was the father of Jotham.
Jotham was the father of Ahaz.
Ahaz was the father of Hezekiah.
10 Hezekiah was the father of Manasseh.
Manasseh was the father of Amos.
Amos was the father of Josiah.
11 Josiah was the father of Jechoniah
and his brothers.
This was at the time of the exile to Babylon.
12 After the exile to Babylon: Jechoniah
was the father of Shealtiel.
Shealtiel was the father of Zerubbabel.
13 Zerubbabel was the father of Abiud.
Abiud was the father of Eliakim.
Eliakim was the father of Azor.
14 Azor was the father of Zadok.
Zadok was the father of Achim.
Achim was the father of Eliud.
15 Eliud was the father of Eleazar.
Eleazar was the father of Matthan.
Matthan was the father of Jacob.
16 Jacob was the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary—of whom Jesus was born, who is called the Christ.
17 So there were fourteen generations from Abraham to David, fourteen generations from David to the exile to Babylon, and fourteen generations from the exile to Babylon to the Christ.
18 This is how the birth of Jesus Christ took place. When Mary his mother was engaged to Joseph, before they were married, she became pregnant by the Holy Spirit. 19 Joseph her husband was a righteous man. Because he didn’t want to humiliate her, he decided to call off their engagement quietly. 20 As he was thinking about this, an angel from the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, don’t be afraid to take Mary as your wife, because the child she carries was conceived by the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you will call him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” 22 Now all of this took place so that what the Lord had spoken through the prophet would be fulfilled:
23 Look! A virgin will become pregnant and
give birth to a son,
And they will call him, Emmanuel.
(Emmanuel means “God with us.”)
24 When Joseph woke up, he did just as an angel from God commanded and took Mary as his wife. 25 But he didn’t have sexual relations with her until she gave birth to a son. Joseph called him Jesus.

WE THINK

  • What stands out to you from today’s reading?
  • Are you confused or stumped by what you’ve read?
  • Is there anything you encountered that makes you think, “I don’t know about that…”?
  • What resonated with you as particularly meaningful?
  • Why do you think Matthew begins Jesus ’story with a long genealogy? What might he want us to understand about who Jesus is and where he comes from?
  • How does the Philippians passage challenge or expand your understanding of what it means for Jesus to be "Lord"?

WE FEEL

  • In general, what emotions seem to be dominant at this moment?
  • How have those emotions affected the relationships you have with those around you?
  • What are you doing, or have you done, to submit those emotions to the Lordship of Jesus Christ?
  • Where have you seen God at work this week?
  • As we celebrate the birth of Jesus, where in your life do you most long for the light of God’s presence to break through?
  • How does knowing that Jesus came through an imperfect and messy lineage affect how you view your own story and your place in God ’s work?

WE BELIEVE

Understanding the continuity between God’s work in the Old Testament and God ’s work through Jesus in the New Testament is paramount if we’re to truly comprehend Jesus and his message. The God at work in the Old Testament is the same God we find in Jesus. We read the Old Testament to gain a deeper understanding of Jesus. We read the New Testament with confidence, knowing that the mighty works of care, guidance, and salvation Israel experienced, we will experience, too.

WE PRACTICE

Choose one of the following practices to do today:

Name Your Lineage

Take time to reflect on your own spiritual or familial ancestry. Who are the people—biological, spiritual, or otherwise—who helped shape your faith? Say a prayer of gratitude for them.

Honor the Promise

Read Psalm 89:1 aloud as a declaration of God’s faithfulness. Light a candle as a symbol of God ’s covenantal light shining in darkness, just as Christ does at Christmas.

Read a Genealogy Together

With family or friends, read through Matthew 1 slowly. Pause after each name and imagine the life behind it. Discuss how your own story fits into Gods ongoing work.

PRAYER

Oh God, as we prepare to celebrate the birth of Jesus, help us to do so with open hearts, eyes, and minds so that we might truly understand the continuity of care and love that Jesusself-emptying so beautifully displays. Amen.