Merry Christmas, loved ones!  My prayer for us during this season is that we find the joy of giving out of what has been given to us.  We certainly have been blessed at Bartimaeus Baptist Temple.  We had our Christmas celebration last Sunday.  Our friends from The Heights Church in Richardson came bearing gifts for all of us and dinner too!  We are thankful for the love and support they have shown us through the years.  It was good that almost everyone was able to come.

This week, as we approach the day when we celebrate the birth of Jesus, let’s take a look at where He came from.  Of course we all know that He is the son of God, but what about His earthly family?  You’d think that the most important person ever born would come from a spotless family line, but not so much.  Jesus’s family history is yet another illustration of God’s redemptive purpose.

Matthew points that out as he begins his account by listing the genealogy of Jesus with a little commentary on the circumstances of some of the people in the line.  There’s Rahab, the prostitute from Jericho.  There’s Ruth of the Moabites, one of the people groups God specifically excluded.  There’s David, whose son Solomon was the product of his marriage to Bathsheba after he murdered her husband by proxy.  The fact is, we’ve all got stuff like that in our backgrounds whether wee know it or not.  We are members of a fallen and corrupted race.  That is why Jesus had to come in the first place, and why He had to die.

The message here is that none of that puts us beyond God’s reach.  When we read the Old Testament accounts, we see how He wove even our brokenness into His plan, drawing us toward the ultimate event that would change everything.  It is a message we can take to heart in our own lives.  Wherever we came from and whatever we’ve done, God is able to redeem us.  He took our shame away, and gave us a new family that will never be broken up.

We’re going to read from Matthew 1:1-6.  I’ll bet most of us have just skimmed over all those names.  They don’t seem all that important. and we want to get to the part where something happens.  But when you know the story behind the names, this seemingly dull passage comes alive.  I hope you’ll join us as we look into the redemption stories that lead up to the greatest story ever told.

Keep each other in your prayers.  Our prayer requests each week are a running commentary on the challenges faced by every one of us in the church.  Let us find strength and encouragement in sharing with and praying for each other.  Priscilla called me last night to let me know that her sister, Jo, has been diagnosed with breast cancer.  Pray especially for this family as they face yet another grief.

Love to you all,

Larry