Summary: How do you celebrate Christmas? What family traditions do you observe? What foods have to be on the table? What decorations must be displayed? What carols do you need to sing in order for you to feel like it is really and truly Christmas? Just as we have our traditions, the four gospels have theirs too. Mark, Matthew, Luke and John each take a unique approach to Christmas. Each introduces Jesus to the world in a distinctive way. This Advent, the Reverend Tom Are, Jr. and I are visiting the homes of the four gospel writers. We are peeking in windows to see how each author has decked the halls. We are noticing who they have invited over for dinner. We are asking: "Why do you think the arrival of Jesus is significant - is holy?" Last week, Tom took us to Mark's house. Mark didn't go in for much in the way of tinsel and garland. Instead, he took us out to the wilderness. For Mark, the wilderness is where we all (at some time or another) live. And when Jesus arrives, he meets us there. The second house on our tour of homes belongs to Matthew. Matthew's place has got cars jamming the driveway and doubled up at the curb. Let's take a stroll up the walk and see what sort of Christmas he is preparing to celebrate. Listen now for God's Word as it echoes to us from the very beginning of the Gospel according to Matthew - Chapter 1, verse 1: Matthew 1: 1 An account of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham.
