WEBVTT 00:00:06.319 --> 00:00:14.519 Glory to Jesus Christ, Father, Son, Holy Spirit, 00:00:14.699 --> 00:00:25.339 Amen. Last night after Vespers, maybe you'll 00:00:25.339 --> 00:00:28.870 laugh about this, Matsuka Ann and I watched Charlie 00:00:28.870 --> 00:00:34.149 Brown Christmas. It's always great. And of course, 00:00:34.229 --> 00:00:37.609 Charlie Brown doesn't get what Christmas is about. 00:00:38.049 --> 00:00:42.729 And Linus comes on the stage. And he says, this 00:00:42.729 --> 00:00:45.490 is what it's about. And he reads a passage from 00:00:45.490 --> 00:00:51.409 the gospel. Who knows which gospel that's taken 00:00:51.409 --> 00:00:55.049 from? I mean, you hear it every year, right? 00:00:55.829 --> 00:00:59.899 It's from Luke. And it's the story with the shepherds. 00:01:01.179 --> 00:01:04.099 And it's important that we know that. But St. 00:01:04.140 --> 00:01:08.219 Matthew is coming at this from a different angle, 00:01:08.280 --> 00:01:11.359 from a different perspective. What we heard today, 00:01:11.480 --> 00:01:15.099 what we always hear on the Sunday before Christmas 00:01:15.099 --> 00:01:20.719 is this gospel from the beginning of the Gospel 00:01:20.719 --> 00:01:23.060 of Matthew, which starts with the words, the 00:01:23.060 --> 00:01:27.769 book of the generation. Of Jesus Christ. The 00:01:27.769 --> 00:01:32.370 son of David. The son of Abraham. And then this 00:01:32.370 --> 00:01:39.189 family tree. You may not think. The family tree. 00:01:39.730 --> 00:01:44.609 Is that important. You may not think. Most of 00:01:44.609 --> 00:01:48.250 us. That pointed out. That there were 14 generations 00:01:48.250 --> 00:01:51.890 here. And 14 generations there. And 14 more generations. 00:01:52.209 --> 00:01:56.560 But to Saint Matthew. And those. who heard these 00:01:56.560 --> 00:02:01.140 words after he wrote them, it was foundational 00:02:01.140 --> 00:02:05.560 to their faith. You have to know the story because 00:02:05.560 --> 00:02:10.699 it gives you hope. Because it gives you strength. 00:02:11.020 --> 00:02:16.860 It gives you hope in a terribly confusing, violent, 00:02:17.060 --> 00:02:21.439 difficult world. And it gives you strength to 00:02:21.439 --> 00:02:30.490 know this story. First, why is it important that 00:02:30.490 --> 00:02:33.050 St. Matthew would tell us about the 14 generations? 00:02:33.289 --> 00:02:37.229 Because it's six sevens. To them, that meant 00:02:37.229 --> 00:02:41.629 quite a bit. A seventh, it's the Sabbath. There's 00:02:41.629 --> 00:02:46.310 six Sabbaths. A Sabbath is God's enthronement, 00:02:46.310 --> 00:02:49.849 his rest, his rule over all creation. And they're 00:02:49.849 --> 00:02:55.439 waiting for what? One more perfect Sabbath. The 00:02:55.439 --> 00:02:58.419 seventh, who is Jesus Christ. So he points out 00:02:58.419 --> 00:03:03.280 there's six of these. Jesus is the seventh. He's 00:03:03.280 --> 00:03:07.900 saying, have hope. God is with us. He is ruling 00:03:07.900 --> 00:03:11.319 in the midst of his enemies. He is not distanced 00:03:11.319 --> 00:03:17.060 from his creation. And so he gives you this long 00:03:17.060 --> 00:03:21.199 family tree of incredibly dysfunctional people. 00:03:22.180 --> 00:03:26.949 Some evil people. Yes, some saints, some prophets, 00:03:27.150 --> 00:03:32.250 some priests. Also prostitutes. Rahab. And you 00:03:32.250 --> 00:03:36.449 heard, by faith, Rahab. Imagine that. A harlot 00:03:36.449 --> 00:03:41.930 justified by her works. We see all kinds of wickedness 00:03:41.930 --> 00:03:46.069 in our ancestors. Our ancestors, because we have 00:03:46.069 --> 00:03:50.030 been grafted onto that same tree. Child sacrifice. 00:03:51.550 --> 00:03:55.039 Incest. You know the story of Judah? and Tamar. 00:03:57.639 --> 00:04:01.259 Murder and adultery. You know the story of the 00:04:01.259 --> 00:04:07.979 repentant king and prophet and Saint David? Idol 00:04:07.979 --> 00:04:13.259 worship. Manassas. Even the great Solomon before 00:04:13.259 --> 00:04:17.040 he repented and died. That's the family tree. 00:04:17.259 --> 00:04:22.699 That's where Christ comes from. And notice How 00:04:22.699 --> 00:04:26.339 we read and the gospel culminates in this incredible 00:04:26.339 --> 00:04:31.040 statement. Notice it didn't say, and Joseph begat 00:04:31.040 --> 00:04:35.480 Jesus. It didn't say Joseph is the father. It 00:04:35.480 --> 00:04:43.259 said, Joseph, the husband of Mary who bore Jesus. 00:04:44.180 --> 00:04:47.740 Having conceived him, how do we say in the creed? 00:04:47.839 --> 00:04:52.879 By the Holy Spirit. Newness. God is with us. 00:04:53.040 --> 00:04:57.300 In Christ, we have hope. We have glory. And we 00:04:57.300 --> 00:05:00.819 see in that family tree the generous, how God 00:05:00.819 --> 00:05:05.560 includes everyone. Everyone in his embrace. In 00:05:05.560 --> 00:05:08.300 the church, everyone, absolutely everyone is 00:05:08.300 --> 00:05:11.360 welcome. Just look at our saints from all walks 00:05:11.360 --> 00:05:14.879 of life, from all types. all ethnicity, all color, 00:05:14.959 --> 00:05:17.740 language, sexual orientation, beliefs and passions. 00:05:18.000 --> 00:05:22.000 God welcomes all and he says, your sins are forgiven. 00:05:23.040 --> 00:05:26.939 Go sin no more. And we are transformed in baptism 00:05:26.939 --> 00:05:36.019 and we leave that sinfulness behind. Here's a 00:05:36.019 --> 00:05:40.019 new Genesis for us. The generation of Jesus Christ. 00:05:40.100 --> 00:05:43.910 God has entered the world to rescue it. God himself 00:05:43.910 --> 00:05:50.790 has entered the world. And we say, before the 00:05:50.790 --> 00:05:53.490 liturgy starts, every single time we serve liturgy, 00:05:53.629 --> 00:05:56.029 glory to God in the highest on earth, peace, 00:05:56.209 --> 00:05:58.730 goodwill toward men, the words of the angels 00:05:58.730 --> 00:06:02.970 to the shepherds. And it is true. It's not the 00:06:02.970 --> 00:06:05.970 peace. You won't find it in Gaza. You won't find 00:06:05.970 --> 00:06:08.670 it in Ukraine. You won't find it in Sudan. You 00:06:08.670 --> 00:06:10.750 won't find it all over the place. But if you 00:06:10.750 --> 00:06:14.759 look, in your heart, God has made it possible 00:06:14.759 --> 00:06:18.439 for each of us to acquire peace that's not dependent 00:06:18.439 --> 00:06:23.259 on anyone else, but his gift, the gift of the 00:06:23.259 --> 00:06:29.920 Holy Spirit. And he has come to be the Savior. 00:06:30.639 --> 00:06:34.360 It says, St. Matthew says, they named his name 00:06:34.360 --> 00:06:36.379 Jesus for he shall save his people from their 00:06:36.379 --> 00:06:39.060 sins. Not the Savior of just mankind in general, 00:06:39.120 --> 00:06:44.759 but the Savior of me. and you in particular to 00:06:44.759 --> 00:06:48.639 conquer death in yourself to conquer fear and 00:06:48.639 --> 00:06:51.500 corruption do you know everything in this world 00:06:51.500 --> 00:06:54.759 corrupts everything everything you see except 00:06:54.759 --> 00:06:59.360 one thing the christian is going to be raised 00:06:59.360 --> 00:07:04.180 from the dead every person is going to be raised 00:07:04.180 --> 00:07:07.180 from the dead the question jesus poses to us 00:07:07.180 --> 00:07:10.269 in the gospel of john Is it the resurrection 00:07:10.269 --> 00:07:13.290 of life or is it the resurrection of judgment? 00:07:14.750 --> 00:07:19.050 But for now, in the church, this place of forgiveness, 00:07:19.189 --> 00:07:26.129 we partake during each divine liturgy of the 00:07:26.129 --> 00:07:31.949 peace of God, Jesus Christ, the medicine of immortality, 00:07:32.110 --> 00:07:39.379 the antidote to death. God. Jesus Christ in us, 00:07:39.500 --> 00:07:45.319 the hope of glory. Let us gather again this evening 00:07:45.319 --> 00:07:52.360 at 6, and tomorrow at 9 .30, to celebrate the 00:07:52.360 --> 00:07:55.899 only and the one new thing in all creation that 00:07:55.899 --> 00:08:00.399 ever happened, that God became man. We might 00:08:00.399 --> 00:08:04.639 discover that there's not just a Bethlehem in 00:08:04.639 --> 00:08:09.399 that war -torn, confused, place of Palestine 00:08:09.399 --> 00:08:13.779 where people don't forgive each other. But there's 00:08:13.779 --> 00:08:17.860 a Bethlehem in our soul where the Lord will come. 00:08:18.500 --> 00:08:22.879 O lover of man, we sang, thou art wrapped in 00:08:22.879 --> 00:08:26.759 swaddling clothes, tearing to pieces the bonds 00:08:26.759 --> 00:08:30.579 of my countless sins. Therefore I joyfully praise 00:08:30.579 --> 00:08:34.139 and worship thy holy birth, for thou didst come 00:08:34.139 --> 00:08:38.409 to set me free. To our Lord be glory, now and 00:08:38.409 --> 00:08:41.970 ever. Ages of ages. Amen.