Happy New Year, you brood of vipers!
This Sunday, we begin a new liturgical year in the church. Typically, we would be dealing with either the prophecies or, in this case as we move to the Gospel of Matthew, we would hear from John the Baptist as he addresses the “brood of vipers” who have come to hear him prophecy. However, that will not be the case for this year.
This year, we will concentrate on the story. In this case, the story of the conception of Jesus and all that that contained. It is an old, old story. One that we need to hear again and again about a God that loves us so much that God decided to become one of us, “put on skin and move into the neighborhood” (Eugene Petersen, The Message).
It is a story that we need to hear. It is a story that we need to remember. It is a story that reminds us that Emmanuel, God With us, is our constant companion. It is a story that is reassuring and necessary. Let’s listen to the story together.
