From Austin Seminary: "Advent Devotional" for December 22

"Advent ushers us into a season of anticipation, hope, and joy, as we await the day of the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, the Messiah ... We intend this Advent Devotional booklet as a gift of the season for you, to signify our deep appreciation for all that you do for Austin Seminary. And we hope that you will share it with others, so that they may also partake in the blessings of Advent alongside us. Be assured that our hearts are joyful to overflowing as we celebrate together this season that anticipates what my dear friend John Rogers described in the title of his book, “The Birth of God.” May your heart overflow, as well."

G. Archer Frierson

Austin Seminary Board of Trustees

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Advent Devotional for December 22

• Matthew 1:1-17

For what do you hope at the beginning of this church year? Matthew’s audience had little reason to hope nor any expectation of good news. They lived under brutal Roman occupation, with no evidence that God could visit or redeem God’s people.

In response, Matthew begins his gospel with the words “the book of the genesis of Jesus.” These words intended to spark hope, reminding his hearers of God’s work in creation (Gen 2:4) and of the beginnings of the human family (Gen 5:1). Matthew, also, marks this beginning with God’s covenant with Abraham and God’s promises to David. This is a testimony to God’s faithfulness.

Matthew’s genealogy rehearses a story of hope, a story of God’s great plan. Even after the catastrophe of the Babylonian exile, God’s people survive, generation to generation. God is faithful.

Matthew’s genealogy also relates shocking stories that challenge our expectations. In Matthew, the Messiah’s ancestors include five women, women with stories of births that defied society’s expectations. Tamar, the daughter-in-law of Judah, conceives of Perez after pretending to be a sex worker and seducing her father-in-law (Gen 38). Rahab, also a sex-worker, harbors spies against her own people out of her fear of Israel’s God (Josh 2). Ruth, an impoverished, widowed, immigrant farm-worker seduces her employer, and thus becomes the great-grandmother of a king (Ruth). And Bathsheba, forced into sexual relations with King David, becomes the mother of wise King Solomon (2 Sam 11). The stories of these four women preview Jesus’s own birth to Mary. Imagine! The one called the Christ is not the biological offspring of Joseph.

In telling these stories, Matthew does not endorse the traumas facing the women of Jesus’ lineage. Instead, he challenges us to reconsider where, and within whom, we expect God to work. God is faithful, at work even among those whom society denigrates. Matthew reminds us that even in the face of impossible odds, we should never relinquish our hope in the God of history. He challenges us to expect God to be at work, in the most improbable situations. For God, indeed, is faithful.

Reverend Dr. Margaret Aymer
The First Presbyterian Church, Shreveport
D. Thomason Professor of New Testament Studies

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For the glory of God and to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ, Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary is a seminary in the Presbyterian-Reformed tradition whose mission is to educate and equip individuals for the ordained Christian ministry and other forms of Christian service and leadership; to employ its resources in the service of the church; to promote and engage in critical theological thought and research; and to be a winsome and exemplary community of God's people.

We hope that you are preparing the way for the Lord in your life as you read these meditations and prayers. And, we hope this Advent season is a meaningful one for you. Please know that Austin Seminary’s dedicated, diverse, and loving community of faith is not complete without you. Did you know?

   • Students in our masters-degree programs receive up to 85% need-based tuition aid.
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