FAMILY TREE
(Matthew 1:18-25)
Betrothed to a man
not the father of her child,
so the story goes.
Jesus, God-with-us,
named in a family tree –
Joseph’s, not Mary’s
Tamar, Rahab, Ruth,
Bathsheba, alien, poor,
powerless, abused.
Jesus’ birth stories
declare God’s inclusiveness:
no one is left out.
Jeff Shrowder, 2019
More for Advent 4A…