The overall theme of Sunday's service was Love. We lit a candle on the Advent wreath to remind us of love, and I suggested in the sermon that the genealogy of Jesus in Matthew 1 should be read as a love story. I hope that the theme was obvious and instructive, but I wonder. As I listened to the sermon earlier this week, several times I wished that I had made the connection more explicit. Hopefully, it was my listening and not my preaching that was off.
Often, when we come to the genealogy, we just see a list of endless names, which we frequently cannot pronounce. And we wonder why they are recorded at all. But I believe that one key point of Matthew 1 is that God was working -- lovingly, patiently working -- through these generations that preceded the birth of Christ. Often, we have such a short-term, impatient view of the world, but here is a view of God working over 42(!) generations, more than 8 centuries, to prepare the way for Jesus. Sometimes it was a bumpy road -- after all, there are villains among the people, as well as heroes. But as the song "(I Never Promised You a) Rose Garden" reminds us, love does not come perfectly or easily. If it is true for our romantic lives, how much more so for God's patient love of humanity across the ages.
If you missed Sunday's sermon, if you'd like to listen to it again, or if you'd like to share it with others, you can find an audio recording here.
You can also listen to the related Communion meditation and the closing benediction.
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