When Matthew set out to write the story of Jesus, he didn’t start with a starry night in Bethlehem. He began with a long list of names tracing Jesus’ heritage as the rightful King of Israel. However, there’s something odd about Matthew’s list. In a culture that excluded women from these lists of ancestors, Matthew made a point of drawing attention to four specific women: Tamar, Rahab, Ruth and Bathsheba. Along with Mary, these women were unlikely candidates to be in the lineage of a king. So why them? This Christmas we take a look at what the matriarchs in Jesus’ family tree can teach us about God’s love.
The Matriarchs of Christmas starts December 5 and will end with a final, special service on Christmas Eve. We hope you and your loved ones can join us!
Also, it’s WH tradition to share a story with coloring pages for kids on Christmas Eve. Stay tuned for that!
What happened to Bathsheba? I don’t find a sermon based on her part in the Jesus’ story.
Hi Brady,
Nice catch! That December there were just four Sundays before Christmas, so unfortunately we only had time to cover four out of the five women.
—Emily from the Communications Team