Ep 15 - Why Advent Still Matters in a Culture That Forgot God

In this solo episode, Dr. Mapson guides us into one of the most overlooked yet essential seasons in the life of the church — the season of Advent. While our culture rushes toward Christmas with shopping, noise, and trillion-dollar spending, Advent quietly calls us to memory, reflection, and the Incarnation itself.

Drawing from Scripture, church history, and decades of preaching, Dr. Mapson explores why Advent matters and why the church must reclaim it. He walks through the biblical rhythms, theological depth, and spiritual discipline that make this season more than a countdown to December twenty-five.

From Jewish feast days and collective memory, to secularism and commercialism, to genealogies, angels, tensions in the birth narratives, and preaching possibilities across the Gospels — this episode offers a rich journey through the texts and symbols we often know too well and rarely examine afresh.

Dr. Mapson unpacks:
 • Why Advent reveals God’s activity throughout the year
 • How the Gospel offers an alternative to cultural Christmas
 • The Incarnation as the center of Christian faith
 • Preaching values in Matthew and Luke’s birth narratives
 • The symbolism of genealogies, dreams, angels, shepherds, and wise men
 • Biblical tensions resolved only by divine intervention
 • The role of Advent preaching series in shaping congregational life
 • Old Testament connections, carols, and songs of the season
 • What happens after the angels leave — and how believers respond

This episode invites the church to slow down, look again, and rediscover the gift God gives in this season — a gift that changes how we live, serve, and enter a new year.

Chapters

• 0:00 Welcome And Why Advent Matters
• 1:36 Sponsor: Palmer Theological Seminary
• 2:38 Sacred Seasons Versus Secular Calendars
• 4:18 Memory And The Old Testament Feasts
• 5:27 Countering Commercial Christmas With Gospel
• 7:53 Reimagining Giving And Alternative Practices
• 10:23 Preaching Opportunities Unique To Advent
• 12:15 Incarnation At The Center
• 13:48 Symbols: Wreaths And Candles Of Advent
• 15:18 What Preachers And People Need To Hear
• 17:23 Nativity Sources: Matthew And Luke
• 19:17 Separating Sacred Narrative From Culture
• 20:57 Genealogies And Generational Faithfulness
• 23:08 Imperfect Families In God’s Story
• 25:10 Women In The Genealogy And Belonging
• 26:31 God Breaks Silence: John The Baptist
• 27:59 Wise Men, Shepherds, And Gentile Welcome
• 29:59 Zechariah’s Doubt And Holy Fear
• 31:30 Tensions In The Birth Narratives
• 34:05 Herod’s Threat And God’s Protection
• 36:06 Egypt As Refuge And Symbol
• 36:39 Sponsor: Cherry Funeral Home
• 37:08 Accepted By Outsiders, Rejected By Power
• 38:16 Seeing Ourselves In Biblical Characters
• 39:31 Designing An Advent Sermon Series
• 41:18 Reading Jesus With The Old Testament
• 42:43 Titles Of The Messiah In Isaiah
• 44:03 The Suffering Servant And Wounded Healers
• 46:02 Fulfillment Passages In Matthew
• 47:15 Advent Questions: Who, Why, Where, How
• 48:18 Songs Of Advent In Luke
• 49:25 Preaching From Christmas Carols
• 51:05 Another Look At The Innkeeper And Joseph
• 53:05 Dreams And Joseph’s Obedience
• 54:25 Mary’s Response Versus Zechariah’s
• 56:01 After Angels Leave: Human Responses
• 57:25 Mary And Elizabeth As A Model
• 58:40 Beyond The Narratives: Key Advent Texts
• 1:00:20 Love Spelled GIVE: John 3:16
• 1:01:50 Closing Blessing And Invitation

Transcript

Rev. Dr. J. Wendell Mapson Jr.: 0:13

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from our Lord Jesus Christ, and welcome to this uh edition, another edition uh of our of our podcast. We're grateful for your presence again. This time I am alone, uh, but we want to spend some some moments today um being guided into this season that is uh very central in the life of the church and uh sometimes overlooked as we uh uh busy ourselves getting ready for Christmas, and that's the season called Advent. Today's episode of the Ministry Exchange is supported by our silver partner, Palmer Theological Seminary, whose mission is the whole gospel for the whole world through whole persons. As one of the most diverse seminaries in North America, Palmer equips leaders through holistic ministry, justice-centered formation, and a global vision of the church. To learn more about their programs and mission, visit PalmerSeminary.edu and follow on social media at Palmer Seminary for more. Thank you. Congregations faithfully recognize uh secular holidays and uh and anniversaries in the life of the church, which are uh all well and good. Uh but often we uh neglect uh these sacred seasons that shape our faith. Um so today's episode uh we're going to pause and reflect with you and walk through why Advent, the season called Advent, matters, uh and not simply as a countdown to Christmas Day, uh, but uh a season that has its own uh theological rhythms and spiritual discipline, reminding us of God's continued activity in the world. We're going to look at uh scriptures and and uh sermon ideas and symbols, as well as the very familiar stories that we know so well. In fact, we know the stories maybe too well, uh, and sometimes stories that are so very familiar to us uh are stories that we need to look at uh in a in a brand new way and and in a fresh way. And so I want to share with you um some reasons to recognize the Advent season. And first reason is that uh recognizing Advent is a way of the world throughout the year. God is not just active at certain moments during the year, but God is alive and active uh throughout the year. Uh and we do recognize secular holidays in America. We recognize uh Memorial Day and Independence Day and Labor Day and uh and Veterans Day, and we should, uh why not recognize uh sacred seasons that uh that impact our faith and our witness? And so when we acknowledge uh what we call liturgical seasons, then we're recognizing God's continuing activity not only among believers, but his continuing activity in the world that he made. The Old Testament uh understood the value of this because the Jews celebrated uh feast days, and we know them well, Passover and uh the Feast of Unleavened Bread and Feast of Weeks, Feast of Tabernacles, were days that God commanded Israel to recognize and celebrate because they were times of collective memory. Deuteronomy six twelve. Then take care lest you forget the Lord, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. Psalm seventy seven, verse eleven. I will remember the deeds of old. Yes, I will remember your wonders of of old. We're told to remember, and uh the Advent season allows us a time of memory. Second reason to recognize the Advent season is that um we give the good news of the gospel a chance to counter the secularism of our culture. Um you may not know, but I looked up statistics that show that Christmas spending will reach one trillion dollars this year. One, even in times of economic uncertainty, um and and and and a sense of of uh hopelessness in our land and all that's going on, uh Americans will still spend a trillion, not not a million, not a billion, uh but unimaginable number, one trillion dollars. Uh there was a time when Christmas was not held in high esteem, particularly by the Puritans. They banned Christmas. And so what do we as Christians make of the season and what it has become? Um our job, I believe, is not to compete with the secularism, secularization rather, and the commercialism of Christmas. But I believe our job is to offer an alternative narrative, an alternative reality. Um we don't have to, as people of God, denounce Santa Claus in order to offer Christ. But it is not about what we buy, but uh what we give. And so, how do we use this Christmas season, the Advent season to um uh I like the word to reimagine um and to refocus so that we're not competing with the commercialization, but we're offering people an alternative. Um one of the things that uh my siblings and I started uh uh doing many years ago, this is probably 30, 35, 40 or more years ago, uh, we decided not to give each other Christmas presents, but rather we decided to um set aside uh what we thought would have been at that time uh the cost of a Christmas gift. Uh I think we probably started with about $50, and we decided to uh put it together in a fund and uh to give to a worthy cause. And so one year would be a cause that that I determined in my church another year uh in uh this my sister's churches where they belonged, and my brother as well. Um and over the years, uh and if it's if it's been over 35, 40 years, you can imagine the thousands of dollars that we've been able to uh give, uh either identifying a family in need in our churches or or a cause uh that we could that we could give. Um and so it's a way of of rethinking uh giving and spending. It's also in conversation with uh Dr. Marsha Brown Woodard, who is an intricate part of uh uh podcast effort, and she mentioned in church where she was serving at the time of um of identifying what the church needs were. Um and it could have been um a microphone or speakers or screens or air conditioning units or computers or maybe a room needed to be painted, uh, or donation to a scholarship fund in the church as a way of helping to meet the needs of the congregation, but it it's a it's a way of uh looking at Advent giving and receiving differently than normal. Third reason why we recognize the Advent season is because it allows the preacher the opportunity to preach from biblical texts normally not used. Um I believe that any text in the Bible is appropriate any time during the year, but it's not likely we're gonna preach sermons uh in June about the manger, uh, or about in the Linton season about uh uh Simon Peter um um in the courtyard. Um and so uh this is a season that allows us to really focus on the central meaning of Advent, which is the incarnation event. And uh incarnation is the Latin word for Adventus, which means coming or arrival. So we get a chance to preach uh from texts that normally we associate with the season, but we would not normally preach from those texts during other times of the year. The fifth reason why we recognize the Advent season is because it allows us to see how how much God loves us and what Jesus did in terms of sacrificing on our behalf. Uh what does it mean that the word became flesh and dwelt among us? What what is what is exactly does that mean and and is that not at the center of our worship and and our thoughts uh during the the um Advent season? We dress it up with the other uh dressings, but um at the at the core, the center of the season is this idea of incarnation. Um the the word became flesh and dwelt among us. That's a powerful uh demonstration of God's love for us, that God loved us enough to um to come to us in human form in order to be like us so that he could save us. And so there are uh four Sundays in Advent, and this year uh Advent begins on the fifth Sunday in November, and of course ends on Christmas Eve. Uh so there are four Sundays that we have to deal with. In some traditions, a wreath is made of evergreens, symbolizing everlasting life in the midst of winter and death. And the circle uh in the wreath represents God's unending love. Some traditions, an Advent candle uh is lit each Sunday during the Advent season, one representing hope, one representing peace, one joy, and one representing love. So that Advent is not then just about the words that we speak through sermons and through teaching and through song, but uh symbols of visible representations of God's love. So the question then becomes uh what does the preacher need to preach? And what does the congregation need to hear during this season? Um again, texts and biblical texts that uh may not speak to us, or texts that we may not hear um during the year. And so the preacher is called upon to answer the question uh when we when we look about during this season of the year and Christmas trees uh being displayed as early as September, um and when we think about the one trillion dollars that will be spent uh and and all of the Christmas wrappings, uh the preacher is called upon to answer the question, what does all this mean for the believer first, but also what does it it mean for the world? What is it we want the world to know and to see during this season? What does the church have to say? Uh this this word that becomes flesh, uh and and how how does this ancient event uh with angels and barns and mangers and sheep and lowing cattle uh in a faraway land called Palestine, how does it become flesh and how does it become alive in a contemporary society with freeways and automobiles and the internet, industrial parks and shopping malls? And so again, we ought to emphasize that the preacher does not have to compete with Christmas or dismiss Christmas, but rather uh the preacher, the church, the gospel offers an alternative reality, saying to the world, do that, but also think about this and and act according to how much God loved us by sending to us his son. There's so many preaching values uh to be found in the Nativity stories found in two Gospels, the Gospel of Matthew, which really sees the birth of Jesus through the eyes of Joseph, and Luke, which sees the birth of Jesus through the eyes of Mary. It's interesting that only two of the Gospels uh have uh nativity stories, neither Mark nor John contain stories of Jesus' birth, even though they certainly write being influenced by the incarnation event. Also interesting that Paul never refers to these birth narratives. Either Paul didn't know about them or they were not important enough for him to mention. These are our Christmas stories, however, and they are amazing stories. They are stories of wonder and majesty, they warm our hearts. Um she brought forth her firstborn son, wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger. That's that's what we know, stories that are also woven with other secular stories that sometimes people fail to separate. Twas the night before Christmas. Uh we think of chestnuts roasting on an open fire, we think of jingle bells. How do we separate this wonderful narrative about the birth of our Savior, this incarnational event from the secular and cultural stories that are told as well? And so I think it's important that we take a fresh look at old stories. Uh old stories, as I said earlier, can become too familiar. We need to hear them uh afresh. Um, the importance of genealogy, the importance of genealogy, uh, and we find these genealogies of, of course, many of them in the Old Testament and particularly in the book of Genesis, but uh both Matthew and Luke uh contain genealogies of Jesus. Uh why are they there? What purposes do they serve? These names, all of these names that are difficult for us to pronounce, the uh old King James language of so-and-so begat so-and-so and begat so-and-so, all of these, all of these begats. They remind us, though, of God's intergenerational faithfulness. That God, this God we serve, uh didn't just start being faithful today, but God has been faithful throughout the generations, from generation to generation. And in our families, God has been, not just in the genealogy of Jesus, but in our own faith, in our own families, God has been faithful through the generations. And I'm sure we can point to people among our ancestors who were faithful to God, and that that same God has proven to be faithful to us. And the amazing thing about God, when we consider the generations and how God shows up in the lives of each generation, uh, that God uses imperfect and fractured families for his divine purposes. Um think about the families in the Old Testament, family of families of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and Joseph and David, and on and on. Families characterized by pettiness, jealousies, rape, incest, sibling rivalries, deceptions. Um but God uses families with these imperfections to do his will. So when we look at the the life of Jesus, uh that we see that the genealogies about him that are found in Matthew and Luke document his lineage. Um it it links Jesus to the house of David. And and remember uh if if particularly for Matthew, who is writing to Jewish Christians, it was important for them to understand Jesus' link to their ancestry. And so there were three groups of fourteen, if you read the genealogies, um that which also was the numerical value of David's name in Hebrew letters, which is the number fourteen. And so Abraham to David, fourteen generations, David to Josiah, fourteen generations, and Josiah to Joseph, who is called the husband of Mary. And so in Jewish law, uh Jesus, the adopted son of Joseph, is entitled to the rights and privileges afforded to biological sons. We know Jesus was the oldest among other brothers and sisters, uh, which counters the doctrine of Mary's perpetual virginity. Uh Jesus uh the doctrine of perpetual virginity says that uh Mary was a virgin prior to the birth of Jesus and after the birth of Jesus for the rest of her life. Uh yet we find in scripture references to sisters and brothers of Jesus. Also, it's important to note that uh in Luke chapter two, that Jesus' parents fulfilled all the requirements of the law. They were obedient to the law of Moses. The laws regarding circumcision and Jesus' dedication in the temple. Also, we note that women were not usually noted in ancient genealogies, but Matthew includes four women in Jesus' genealogy, three of whom were Gentiles: Tamar, Rahab, and Ruth, and Bathsheba was the wife of a Gentile, Uriah by name, Uriah the Hittite. I think it says something about the current administration's policies toward immigrants and marginalized people. Uh, the whole question of who belongs and who has a right to determine who belongs, and who has who has a right to exclude others from the benefits and blessings of this nation? Who has a right to determine who belongs to God? I think there's a message to Christian nationalists who would want us to believe that uh America belongs to them, uh that America and and the white race go together. When Isaiah 61 says, nations will come to your light and kings to the brightness of your dawn. Also, when Luke begins his gospel with the announcement of the birth of John the Baptist, God's silence is broken. After four hundred years, when God does not speak from the close of the Old Testament to the opening of the New Testament, God has now spoken through the ministry of John the Baptist. While kings sit on their thrones, God is working undercover. Notice also the visit of the wise men. We call them wise men. They were actually astrologers. Astrologers study the motions and movements of the planets and interpret them in terms of human activities and characteristics. That's Matthew chapter two, verses one and two. The question astrologers asked was, How do the stars influence human existence? Also note that by the time the wise men visit Jesus, Jesus is a young child, not an infant, living in a house, not a stable. We don't know how many wise men there were. We assume three because they brought three gifts. There could have been more. We know that they were Gentiles, again suggesting that Jesus belongs to the world and not just to the Jewish nation. In the words of Simeon, for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all nations, a light for revelation for the Gentiles and the glory of your people, Israel. Also be good to contrast the shepherds and the wise men. Shepherds representing ordinary people, blue-collar workers, and wise men representing knowledge and wisdom both had a place at the feet of Jesus. Then it's interesting to shift a little and look at the narrative about concerning the visit of the angel to Zachariah. And we know that Zechariah was a priest on duty in the temple. When the angel comes to him, he and his wife were were uh up in years, past the years of of childbearing. And when when uh he's informed about the the uh uh birth of of uh his son John the Baptist, his question is, how can I be sure of this? He says, I'm an old man, and my wife is well alone in years. And it's interesting, the angel appears to be offended. Uh, and the penalty for the question he asks is silence. The angel says, You did not believe my words. Angels were messengers and prefaced their announcements with the phrase, do not be afraid. It's a biblical refrain, and you might do well to investigate other places in the Bible, and particularly the New Testament, but also the Old Testament, where this phrase be not afraid, do not be afraid. How many times has Jesus used the phrase during his ministry? And what is fear today? And how is our Lord calling us to react to all of the fears that engulf us and surround us? You also might want to look at the tensions in the birth narratives. And by tensions, I mean their problems that only can be resolved by divine intervention. What are the tensions at work and the way we preachers move through the tension? What are the tensions in life that we work through and God's intervention? How God works them out, not always the way we want them worked out, but life being full of tensions. So when we look at the birth narratives, here's one tension. Elizabeth is unable to bear children, right? Because of her age. Think about God's intervention. How does God solve a problem? God solves a problem by opening her womb. Think about other women in Scripture, particularly in the Old Testament, and the tensions of barrenness and the meaning of barrenness in Scripture. Sarah, Rebecca, Hannah. Another tension. Joseph now contemplating not marrying Mary, right? Because he was betrothed to Mary. And we know that betrothal is as close to marriage as you can get. It was legally binding. He's betrothed to her, finds out that she's pregnant. He is not the father. And so the tension is how is this going to work out? How is this going to be resolved? And of course, it is resolved when while contemplating it, the angel tells her that he should go ahead and marry her, because what's in her womb is a result of the activity of God, the activity of the Holy Spirit. There's also tension in Herod's plot to kill Jesus. So we have new birth, and then we have a plot to kill the baby. A king afraid of a baby. Power threatened by vulnerability. And we see the insecurity and brevity of earthly thrones. Herod is afraid of a baby. Earthly thrones are temporary at best. We could talk about Herod's throne as opposed to God's throne and the throne that Jesus occupied, which was the throne of David. The promise that there would always be someone to sit on the throne of David. Only one throne is everlasting. As we look at people of power who sit on their thrones as if they will remain in power always. Also, the move during the night to Egypt, when the baby is threatened, and in a dream, Joseph is told to take his mother and child to into Egypt in order to avoid Herod's wrath. Notice how God chooses to relocate his son rather than to kill Herod. No. How does God deal with evil today? Certainly not our way, because if we had our way, we would want God to step in and remove evil kings and evil presidents and evil administrations from their thrones. And yet God chooses God chooses to relocate his son rather than to deal directly with Herod at this time. God's ways, not our ways. What about the symbolism of Egypt? Old Testament, Israel came out of Egyptian slavery. Now Jesus is taken to Egypt for protection. So a place that was once a place of their bondage is now for Jesus a place of safety. And then, of course, they they bring the child, meaning Joseph brings the child out of Egypt. And uh what could that symbolize and what preaching values could be there? This episode of the Ministry Exchange is brought to you by our partner, Cherry Funeral Home, Incorporated. For over 85 years, they've served families in the Philadelphia area with care, compassion, and consistency. Under the leadership of Gregory T. Burrell, Cherry Funeral Home has become a trusted name, offering guidance and support when it's needed the most. So whether you're facing the difficult task of planning ahead or navigating the grief of a recent loss, Cherry Funeral Home provides the kind of support that eases the burden.com and thank you. Also, I think there's a contrast to be made between Herod and the wise man. Jesus is accepted by Gentiles, foreigners, but rejected by a Jewish king. I think we also can ask the question are we Herod? Uh the Herod in us, for that matter, the Judas in us, the Simon Peter in us, the innkeeper in us. I think in the text we want to be shepherds and wise men, but we don't want to be Herod. How can we think in terms of biblical characters who we may not like and who may be flawed, but is it possible that some of them is in us? Another great thing to consider is the preaching of Advent series, which means that a series of sermons, which would at least be four for the four Sundays in Advent, to give a sense of the continuing drama of the Advent season. It also allows uh preachers to give the congregation a sense of where the preacher is going throughout the uh Advent season. Uh preacher may want to let the to outline the series so that the congregation is knows where he or she is going uh next Sunday. Congregation can then anticipate uh what's what's what's about to happen in the following Sundays. It creates a different kind of interest, but it also relieves the preacher from the burden of having to try to come up with a sermon each week. You know, what am I going to preach this Sunday? Uh, with a series, you can outline those four Sundays, get ahead, uh, begin preparing sermon number two and number three and number four uh in advance. Um and it it's it's a way of of of of giving the preacher a freedom during that season as well. I think another another thing to consider in in terms of the season is what does the Old Testament say about Jesus? And and of course, uh there's a danger in reading Jesus into every Old Testament passage. Uh, that that's that's not what we want to do. But we also we want to recognize that the uh early church and its uh writers looked back to the Old Testament uh and saw uh the purposes of God uh give given birth in the promise of the Messiah. Uh and they and they read Old Testament texts in light of uh the life and ministry of Jesus. You could do a series on uh um Isaiah 9, um, when the passage about uh his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father. He would have one sermon, uh Wonderful Counselor, another one, Mighty God, third one, everlasting Father, and a fourth one, Prince of Peace, just talking about what those titles mean. What are the titles for Jesus? Isaiah 53 is another uh uh chapter loaded with uh Advent material in terms of comparing Jesus to this suffering servant, um, the unattractiveness of Jesus. Um the description of how unattractive Jesus, this this person, this this uh suffering servant was, which we believe was a uh uh implies Jesus, or the God of rejects, um for people who are who have what what kind of people today uh are feeling rejected? What are some biblical characters who were rejected but uh accepted by God? Uh by his wounds, by his stripes, we are healed. What what what does that mean? Uh I I I'm thinking of uh a book entitled The Wounded Healer, which was written by uh Henri Nowen. Uh in what sense then are we as uh messengers of of the gospel and and and and even servants of of uh of our Lord, uh that we too are wounded healers. Another question could be: how does the birth of Jesus fulfill the Old Testament? And we'll notice that phrase, particularly in the beginning of Matthew, as it is written. When you see as it is written, it refers to uh connection with a passage in the Old Testament. And so Matthew 2, 5 to 6 fulfills Micah 5, 2 and 4, the uh prophecy about Bethlehem. Matthew 2, 14 to 15 fulfills Hosea 11, 1, which has reference to Egypt. Matthew 2, 17 to 18 fulfills uh Jeremiah's uh prophecy in Jeremiah 31, 15 about the daughters of children two years and under that were slain. Also, you could do a series on Advent questions who, why, where, how, when, and so the who would be uh you will conceive and bear a son, Luke 131. When could use uh one of Paul's writings when he talks about in the fullness of time, Galatians uh chapter 4, the why, because he will save his people from their sins, that's Matthew 1, 21 and 22. Where? In Bethlehem of Judah, uh how the Holy Spirit will come upon you, and which is Luke 1 3.35. It's just a series on on four who's also a series could be done on the songs of Advent. Uh we have the song of Zechariah in the first chapter of Luke. We have the song of the angels uh in the second chapter of Luke. We have the song of Mary in the first chapter of Luke, we have the song of Simeon in the second chapter of Luke. These songs are human responses to God's activity. And so uh when when God says something, the response was these songs. Mary is told that she's going to bear in her womb the Son of God. She sings a song, etc. Songs celebrate what God has done and what God is doing. Also, a little different uh uh approach would be a series on the lyrics from Christmas carols. Um it because what that would do is also refamiliarize our people with uh the difference between Christmas songs and Christmas carols. Christmas carols specifically speak to this incarnation event. Um Jingo Bells is not a Christmas carol, it's a Christmas song. So we have Christmas carols like Angels from the Realms of Glory. Uh and in that uh hymn, this is a wonderful line: Shepherds in the field abiding, watching o'er their flock by night. God with man is now residing. Yonder shines the infant light. That's incarnation. Hark the Herald Angel Sing, which is uh song composed by the great Charles Wesley. There's a line in there that says, Mild he lay his glory by. And of course, language is dated, but uh reinterpreting that language for today, uh mild he lay his glory by, how how how uh Jesus gave up his glory in order to take on his humanity. And I'll speak about that a little bit later. Um also a series on um um another look at, for instance, another look at the innkeeper. Um was he really at fault for turning away Joseph and Mary? Was it was it uh simply because of full occupancy? The inn was full. Um or was it hostility? See. Another look at the innkeeper who's been vilified for two thousand years, for that matter, uh off the script here, but another look at Thomas, um, who was not present when the other disciples were another look at Lot's wife, um another look at Job's wife, who has also been maligned for 2,000 years. Um let's look at Joseph, uh, sometimes called the forgotten man in this whole drama. Joseph never speaks during the narration of uh the narrative about the birth of Jesus. Well, there are other persons in scripture who never speak, but they do speak. Lazarus never speaks. Uh, the woman who anoints the feet of Jesus never speaks. The people who in scripture who have no words in the script, but their powerful presence and testimony speaks volumes. Mary actually never speaks in the birth narrative. She speaks uh in the conversation with the angel, but she never speaks. It's it's it's God speaking and and God acting and God doing. Uh, and also to note that the the child Jesus is just an ordinary child. There's nothing told that that's miraculous. The child is placed in a manger, child needs to needs food, uh, needs needs protection like any other child. Child is vulnerable. Um another series uh could be could be uh compiled about Joseph's dreams. He dreams when it comes to marrying Mary, he has a dream. Uh when he's told to escape to Egypt, that takes place in a dream. Return from Egypt takes place in a dream, and then he withdraws to Galilee and goes to the town of Nazareth. That takes place uh by through a dream, the vehicle of a dream, the power of dreams as vehicles of God's truth. But more important than that is Joseph's obedient. Each time in the dream that Joseph is told to do something, uh he's obedient, uh, and and and what his disobedience would have cost had he been disobedient. We could also uh work with Mary's response uh to the angel and contrast it with Zechariah's response. We said earlier, Zachariah's response when told by the angel that his wife would bear a child, uh he's he his question was, how can I be sure of this? Um the angel tells Mary that she's going to bear a son. Her question is, how can this be since I am a virgin? And and uh the angel is not harsh with her as uh he was with uh uh as as he was with Zachariah. He told Zachariah, say, I'm I'm uh I'm I'm Gabriel, you know, I'm I'm I'm the chief angel, and you know, and and and was actually was angry with Zachariah because of his disbelief. We could talk you could talk about why, in one case, both of them uh uh seem to be questioning um from their own humanity how can something that takes can take place that's out of the ordinary, right? And uh but but the response to Mary was uh was not you know because of what you said, you're not gonna bear Jesus in your womb. Uh just just just interesting. Um and then we we talk about responses. We took we could talk about uh uh Zacharias's response to the news, Mary's response to the news, Joseph's response to the news, uh Herod's response, because Herod responds, as soon as you find him, he's talking to the wise men, report to me so I too can go and worship him. And of course, we know different. We talk about the dangers of false worship, how we misuse worship in so many different ways. And he says, Let me know so I can go and worship him. And we all know that worship, worshiping Jesus was was not at all on Herod's mind. Also, a series on what happens after angels leave. Um how do people respond respond after an encounter with the holy? What is the shepherd's response? You know, uh, let's go to Bethlehem and see. Uh Mary's response, um may it be unto me, you know, and and and saw herself as a servant and and a vehicle uh to give birth to God's son. Joseph's response. Joseph's response was obedience. He goes ahead and marries marriage. Zechariah's response was, of course, the question uh how can I be sure of this? Could also delve into Mary's relationship with Elizabeth. Here is uh uh seems seems to be a seasoned woman, a young and a younger woman. Uh Mary, after hearing the news, goes into the hill country, uh, even though she's carrying the savior of the world, Elizabeth, the uh forerunner of Jesus, the savior, but but Mary goes to Elizabeth, the the need in our churches and communities for Mary, Mary's and Elizabeth's to connect and to um to form a relationship. Um we could also speak of other women like uh Anna the prophet, does not she's not called uh in the newer translations a prophetess, but she is called a prophet. Um you know, we could look at uh other texts uh that speak of the incarnation, but that may not deal with the stories, the birth stories in Luke and in Matthew. One is in Isaiah chapter 9, of course, the people that walked in darkness have seen a great light. We know that one. Another one I mentioned earlier, uh in Galatians chapter three, when Paul talks about in the fullness of time, at the at the right time, uh Jesus, God acts throughout history at the right time, which is God's time. Uh why does God take 400 years before he sends a deliverer named Moses? We who knows, but it it happened in in God's time, not not our time, not Chronos, not not uh Kronos, but Kairos time. A wonderful uh uh Advent scripture for for me is Philippians chapter two. Uh, let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus, in that wonderful way Paul, that that hymn uh called Christ hymn that uh uh either Paul composed or or he uses it, uses a composition that had already been composed, uh, and just tells in in brevity the story of uh of God's uh of Christ giving up his glory uh in order to come to earth uh and become human and and being obedient uh even until the death of the cross and and then how God because of that God highly exalts him. I think another wonderful text uh for the Advent season is John 316. Um I was I was attending a service of of uh installation not long ago uh out in uh Trapp, Pennsylvania, uh and the preacher uh was was talking about asked the congregation how do you spell how do you spell love? And of course we all spelled it to in unison, L-O-V-E. And of course, he said that's not how you spell love. And he said it's not L-O-V-E, but it's G-I-V-E. It's it's it's you spell it it's giving. Um and when we think about what was given to us in the uh Advent season in to this act called the this term called the incarnation, for God so loved the world that he gave. I mean, it's it it it's it's it's it's incarnation. Again, going to the beginning of my remarks, it shows us the extent to which God loved us, that he gave his only begotten son at whosoever believeth. So the purpose of God giving his son is I think it's more than just to be like us and to walk our walk and talk our talk. The the purpose of Jesus' coming was to save us. And uh Um and so uh wanna take this opportunity to thank you for joining us on uh this edition, this podcast edition, and this uh um talking about this wonderful season that is upon us that we should not let pass without uh stopping and pausing for the the richness of the season and how God wants to speak to us, continues to speak to us through the gift of his son, that and and and how that gift ought to make a difference, that we cannot receive this gift and go back to business as usual. And then this this wonderful gift that he gives at Christmas prepares us as we uh near the end of uh an old year and uh enter the dawn of a of a brand new year with this gift. God bless you, and we hope that uh if these podcasts have been a blessing to you, that you will continue to follow us uh and and thank you for being a part of it. And until next time, uh continue to lead uh and to follow, to keep serving, and to remember that it's not about the the titles uh we bear, but about the service that we render uh and continue to love the Lord. God bless you.