Pastor Taylor Shippy - Genesis 38:1-30; Matthew 1:1-3
Before he gets into the actual story of Jesus, before he even gets to Christmas, Matthew begins His gospel a list of names of the ancestors of Jesus' family tree. Not totally unusual for someone of Jesus’ caliber. But there is an interesting detail, an usual deviation in Matthew’s genealogy of Jesus. When listing Jesus’ ancestors, Matthew goes out of his way to include five women in the genealogy, one of which is a woman by the name of Tamar.
I want us to read Tamar's story and seek an answer as to why Matthew picked her and highlighted her story. To recall who she was and how she ended up in this convoluted family tree. And to consider her witness as we journey through advent toward the birth of Jesus.
