Advent begins Sunday, November 30. Advent is the season of the Church year that calls God’s people to prepare for the joyful celebration of Christmas. We are called to prepare our hearts, our lives, so that when the baby arrives we may experience the wonder and joy of the Word Made Flesh. This year at May Memorial Advent will be approached a little differently.
Rather than following the traditional texts that lead us through the season, we will focus on the birth story in Matthew, and Matthew begins that story with a long genealogy. One of the things that makes that genealogy interesting is the inclusion of four (maybe five) individuals, all of whom are women. And during the season of Advent we will hear their stories.
We will begin with Tamar, and her PG-13 story appears in Genesis 38. We will continue with Rahab, the prostitute that hid the Hebrew spies and was spared when her city was destroyed. The choir will then present the cantata on December 14, but we will name the next woman in the genealogy, that being Ruth. And finally, on December 21 we will tell the story of Bathsheba, even though Matthew only names her “the wife of Uriah the Hittite.” Matthew, of course, includes Mary the mother of Jesus in his genealogy, but by the time we finish with Bathsheba Advent will have passed and Christmas will be upon us.
We will learn much about these women in the genealogy, and we also will want to consider why they are there. Because, if we are honest, they have stories that are less than desirable. Their stories include poor choices, bad circumstances, sinful and harmful actions, and many sordid details. Most people would want to leave these types of stories out of their family tree if possible. But the biblical account includes them. Warts and all.
This, at the very least, reminds me that God can use stories that include all kinds of characters and vignettes to work a story of peace, hope, and incarnation. When Jesus considered his family tree he was aware of these unsavory episodes, and yet he knew that through his birth, life, death, and resurrection God was at work reconciling all things to himself.
Advent is nearly here, let us approach the season with anticipation and openness to what we can hear and how we can be formed as Christ-followers who know and share the miraculous blessedness of incarnation.