Ending the Exile: Part 1

The genealogy of Jesus recorded in the Gospel of Matthew is interrupted by a reference to an event. Unexpectedly, part way through the long list, instead of pointing to someone who lived long ago, Matthew points to something that happened long ago: “the deportation to Babylon,” the exile. Our sermon set for this Christmas season will, the Lord willing, explore how that marker event ought shape our understanding of and appreciation for the coming of Jesus the Christ. Our plan is to do so by working our way through the second chapter of Matthew’s Gospel and the story of a king born in Bethlehem who was called a Nazarene.