Matthew 2:13-15 While God revealed His Son to the sages and magicians from the East, Herod was lost in trying to find Him. Herod was disturbed about this “king.” Jesus would have been part of the genocide if not for God’s intervention with Joseph. Joseph leads his...
Matthew 1:20-23 Matthew’s account of Joseph reveals that the coming of Messiah was even greater than what people could imagine from reading the prophets. Even though the Jews believed God was both personal and infinite, anytime anyone drew near to God in the Old...
Matthew 1:1,3,5,6, 16 Matthew’s gospel beginning with Jesus’ genealogy, which includes women, can seem tedious, and even boring. Yet it shows God’s planning for the arrival of His Son. Their stories change how we see other people’s stories—people are not lost causes...
Isaiah 9:2, 6-7 No matter what you want to do in a room, you have to first turn on the light, or you can’t see to do anything else. These verses call the world “dark,” which is ignorance and evil. No “good will” or “Christmas spirit” can change that. Only the light of...
Mark 1:1-13 Jesus’ first advent was to form a new humanity, a redeemed people. While we want the “niceness” of Christmas to last, this Nativity account shows the reality of the fierce challenges and evil’s opposition that face Jesus’ mission. Our Savior has overcome...
