I don’t know about you, but I’m fully invested in the Christmas season. Today, we’re diving into a series of Christmas episodes and to kick it off, we’re starting in the book of Matthew. Matthew spends most of the first chapter outlining the genealogy of Jesus. While a genealogy may not seem like the most show stopping opener, the cultural and historical implications of this chapter are deeply impactful.

The genealogy of Jesus is countercultural. It is rare to find women listed in genealogies and the women highlighted here are not classified by their squeaky clean lives or heritages. The effects of shame, prejudice, disobedience, loneliness all permeate the lives of the women in Jesus’ line. As we look at these women, we can’t help but see reflections of our own hearts and stories. And in that reflection I pray we will see the all-encompassing salvation gift given to us through the life and death of Jesus. 

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