Series Embracing Christmas

For many, it’s tradition to read the Christmas story aloud on Christmas Day. But not many read the loooong genealogy that begins Matthew’s account. Mart DeHaan, Elisa Morgan, and Bill Crowder take time to look at Jesus’s family tree . . . for a very important reason.

Any man would be angry and broken-hearted to learn that his fiancée was pregnant—and he’s not the father.  Mart DeHaan, Elisa Morgan, and Bill Crowder look at the role Joseph played in the Christmas story . . . and consider how Mary’s pregnancy put him in a painful spot.

When Joseph discovered that his fiancée, Mary, was pregnant, ancient Jewish law dictated one very harsh option . . . have her publically stoned to death.  Mart DeHaan, Elisa Morgan, and Bill Crowder look at how Joseph rejected that option. . . and did what he knew was right in his heart.

Every birth is a miracle. But when Mary claimed to be both pregnant and a virgin . . . her fiancé didn’t know what to believe. That’s not how having a baby works!  Mart DeHaan, Elisa Morgan, and Bill Crowder imagine the wild range of emotions Joseph must have felt . . . until an angel came and offered a hopeful solution!

At first, the story of a young virgin having a baby by the Holy Spirit sounds, well . . . crazy.  Mart DeHaan, Elisa Morgan, and Bill Crowder show how a prophetic Old Testament passage in Isaiah provides evidence of God’s divinely orchestrated plan to redeem the world through a baby. . . born to a virgin.