MATTHEW 1:1-18 _

The book of the Christ, the son of , the son of . Abraham was the father of , and Isaac the father of , and Jacob the father of and his brothers, and Judah the father of and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of , and Ram the father of , and Amminadab the father of , and Nahshon the father of , and Salmon the father of by Rahab, and Boaz the father of by Ruth, and Obed the father of , and Jesse the father of David the king. :1-18 _

And David was the father of by the wife of Uriah, and Solomon the father of Rehoboam, and Rehoboam the father of , and Abijah the father of Asaph, and Asaph the father of Jehoshaphat, and Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, and Joram the father of Uzziah, and Uzziah the father of Jotham, and Jotham the father of Ahaz, and Ahaz the father of Hezekiah, and Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, and Manasseh the father of Amos, and Amos the father of Josiah, and Josiah the father of Jechoniah and his brothers, at the time of the deportation to Babylon. MATTHEW 1:1-18 _

And after the deportation to Babylon: Jechoniah was the father of Shealtiel, and Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel, and Zerubbabel the father of Abiud, and Abiud the father of Eliakim, and Eliakim the father of Azor, and Azor the father of Zadok, and Zadok the father of Achim, and Achim the father of Eliud, and Eliud the father of Eleazar, and Eleazar the father of Matthan, and Matthan the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ. MATTHEW 1:1-18 _

So all the generations from Abraham to David were fourteen generations, and from David to the deportation to Babylon fourteen generations, and from the deportation to Babylon to the Christ fourteen generations.

This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit. INTROS ARE IMPORTANT THIS LIST GROUNDS OUR STORY IN HISTORY

“BECAUSE THEY WERE HERE, WE ARE HERE.” THE INCARNATION CHANGES EVERYTHING JOHN 1:14-20 _

The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood. We saw the glory with our own eyes, the one-of-a-kind glory, like Father, like Son, Generous inside and out, true from start to finish.

John pointed him out and called, “This is the One! The One I told you was coming after me but in fact was ahead of me. He has always been ahead of me, has always had the first word.” JOHN 1:14-20 _

We all live off his generous bounty, gift after gift after gift. We got the basics from , and then this exuberant giving and receiving, This endless knowing and understanding— all this came through Jesus, the Messiah. No one has ever seen God, not so much as a glimpse. This one-of-a-kind God-Expression, who exists at the very heart of the Father, has made him plain as day.

CHRIST’S ARRIVAL INTO HISTORY IS THE BEGINNING OF SOMETHING NEW; BUILDING ON THE HISTORY BEFORE HIM, GOD THEN MAKES A WHOLE NEW FUTURE A MOMENT OF REFLECTION REFLECTION (FOR YOURSELF) _

The arrival of Jesus is the changing point in history.

What does God’s incarnation mean to you?

Do you appreciate how real and tangible it all is, or is it a vague mystery?

Are you disregarding it, or celebrating it? REFLECTION (WITH ANOTHER) _

The arrival of Jesus invites us to get our own “skin in the game”.

What is something God’s Spirit prompted you for and you lived it out? What started as just an idea or theory or mystery, and now it has become incarnate, tangible and real?

How has that journey been?