Today’s Reading: Matthew 1:1-25 (Click here to read)
Oops!
We all have a black sheep in our family. If you don’t know who that is, it might be you!
You’ve probably heard that joke before. Or maybe it’s less of a joke and more of a moment of enlightenment? Either way, black sheep are those characters who stick out in our family, for better or worse. Sometimes, depending on the circumstances, we’re not exactly eager to admit they’re related to us.
But here’s the thing: Even Jesus had black sheep in His family. Did you catch them in Matthew’s genealogy?
There’s Tamar, a Canaanite woman who disguised herself as a prostitute to trick her father-in-law, Judah, into giving her a child (Genesis 38). There’s Rahab, a Canaanite prostitute who hid Israelite spies in Jericho and helped them escape (Joshua 2). And David? A king “after God’s own heart” who committed adultery with Bathsheba and arranged for her husband, Uriah, to be killed (2 Samuel 11). Even King Manasseh, one of Judah’s most wicked kings, who led his people into idolatry and violence, shows up in the lineage (2 Kings 21).
Ugh!
These stories aren’t just about Christ’s family—they’re a reflection of humanity itself. If we’re honest, we all see a little of Tamar, Rahab, David, and Manasseh in ourselves. Our world is filled with anger, immorality, selfishness, and brokenness. And if we look at the mess of human nature, we might ask: What exactly is lovable about us?
But this is where the miracle of the Nativity begins. God doesn’t avoid the mess of humanity—He enters into it. He chooses not just the perfect but the imperfect to bring about His plan of salvation. Christ’s family tree shows us that God’s love doesn’t bypass our flaws—it redeems them.
Aha!
And that brings us to the heart of the mystery: By taking on our humanity, Christ embraces all of it—our brokenness, our weakness, our sinfulness. In the Incarnation, God doesn’t just love us from afar; He becomes one of us. He knows what it is to live in a fallen world, to face temptations, and to experience pain. Though Christ never sinned, He bore the full weight of our humanity.
This is the paradox of the Incarnation: God doesn’t wait for us to become lovable to love us. He loves us into transformation. And here’s the invitation: If we can accept that God accepts us, we might just begin to see ourselves as God sees us—beloved, worthy, and full of potential for new life.
Whee!
To help us understand this, imagine the experience of falling in love. At some point, one person might say to the other, “I’m a flawed person—I don’t know what you see in me.” It’s a vulnerable moment, born of fear that our imperfections might render us unlovable.
Yet, love reveals beauty where we might see only brokenness. Over time, the beloved begins to see themselves through the eyes of the one who loves them—not denying their flaws but embracing their worth. They discover what is lovable about themselves and learn to accept it.
This is what God’s love does for us. Because Christ was born in our flesh, He sees us completely—our flaws, our struggles, our sins—and still calls us beloved. He doesn’t love us because we are perfect; He loves us because we are His. And when we trust His love, we can begin to see ourselves as He sees us: not as failures defined by shame but as people full of dignity and grace.
God’s love transforms us. It doesn’t just affirm who we are; it awakens who we are meant to be.
Yeah!
So, if we begin to see ourselves as God sees us, the question becomes: What does this make possible?
Healing? Yes, because God’s love is stronger than our wounds.
Forgiveness? Yes, because if God can forgive us, we can forgive ourselves and others.
Salvation? Yes, because Christ’s love not only rescues us from sin but draws us into the fullness of life with Him.
This is the gift of the Nativity. Christ enters the world—not to avoid our brokenness but to redeem it. He loves us as we are so that we can become what we are meant to be.
This Christmas we open our hearts to this transforming love, accept that God accepts us, and rejoice in what He sees in us. For through Christ, all things are made new.
Amen.