“Glory to God in the highest heaven,

    and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests…

…The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.”  -Luke 2 

Gospel of Luke chapter two. Birth of Jesus. The census, star burning bright, shepherds in fields. The traditional Christmas Eve Reading. 

Flip back to Matthew, chapter one–the genealogy of Jesus. Reading aloud the list of known and obscure names takes over three minutes. If read during a December church service by the liturgist, who launches into the final 14 names with the Jeconiah home stretch, most faces will alternate between resignation and piqued interest–what will the pastor spring on us now? 

There are two stories of Jesus’ conception and birth, and they differ, but not conflict; most pageants combine the two. 

The Matthew three minutes of tongue-twisting are essential theology of the Old Testament and the New Testament alike for the whole church. The genealogy of Jesus Christ begins with Abraham begetting Isaac; no mention of the banished son Ishmael. Issac begets Jacob with no word of Esau, whose birthright had been robbed. Jacob begets Judah and all the brothers. I am calculating a lot of left-out brothers and a sister. Why is Judah chosen and not the brightly robed extraordinary Joseph? Matthew, faithful to Jewish theology, writes that God does not select the most noble and deserving to carry out a divine purpose. 

Whew–this gives us a Christmas hope. 

The Judahs are selected for reasons unknown to us. The Tamars and Rahabs have their names in print because of God’s redemptive power, not human strength or tremendous works. Jesus came for everyone. 

Who among us can say we are not in the process of being used right now to fulfill some grace-filled purpose?  In three minutes, it is clear that God’s saving grace has been evident from the beginning. Celebrate Christmas by reading both birth stories and like Mary, 

“Treasure these things and ponder them in your heart.”