What do we do with the absurdity of the incarnation? Joseph was already a just man, a righteous, Torah-observant man. God challenges Joseph to rise above observance and personify the kind of sacrifice Jesus would have to make for those he loves.

Mary was the first to receive the news that Jesus would was coming. Being born of a virgin declared Jesus to be something of a “new birth” for humanity, which the Apostle Paul picked up on in his epistles. The hope we have in Jesus is not the hope of trusting a human teacher, but of something completely and utterly disruptive to “how things are supposed to work.”

Most people think the Book of Jonah is about a guy being swallowed by a whale. Admittedly, that part of the book is pretty crazy, but it is only mentioned in two verses (1:17, 2:10). The real core of Jonah is his song—a complex poem that weaves ideas from both the Psalms, the culture around him, and his own spiritual experience together to lead us in thanksgiving.

The last chapter of Amos is not condemnation but a promise of hope for the remnant who believe. Even though Israel will be destroyed, those who seek God (even against public opinion) will be protected and given new life.

Amos shares three divine visions of coming destruction which warn of the Assyrian invasion.

Because they refuse to hear the prophets, Israel went after sources of “security” that they believed would protect them from enemies. They are about to have a rude awakening.

Even as he makes it clear that Israel is destined for catastrophe, the LORD repeatedly begs them to seek him, to repent and return.

The LORD laments Israel’s deafness to his pleas through the prophets.

The nations around Israel are confronted with their malicious and violent behavior, and their destruction is made clear.