Monday Dec. 2: Matthew 1:1-17
Tuesday Dec. 3: Matthew 1:18-25
Wednesday Dec. 4 : Luke 1:5-25
Thursday Dec. 5: Luke 1:46-55
Friday Nov. 29: Luke 1:57-66
Saturday Nov. 30: Luke 1:67-80
Sunday Dec. 1: Philippians 1:3-11
As we sing Christmas carols, Luke’s gospel begins like musical theater, the characters bursting into song. Mary, Jesus’ mother, and Zechariah, John the Baptist’s father, both sing of how God’s action in these extraordinary births will be echoed in God’s work to restore justice throughout the earth. In “The Night Before Christmas,” we imagine children dreaming of sugarplums, but Matthew remembers Joseph’s dream giving him courage to stand by Mary instead of discarding her. We read, as well, Matthew’s genealogy. What figures do you recognize in Jesus’ lineage? How blessed we are to be grafted into his family!