Week 1: The First Sunday of Advent | “There’s room for every story”

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focal scriptures Matthew 1:1-17 | Isaiah 2:1-5
theme connections
Our series begins with Matthew’s genealogy. In that long list of names, we remember the trauma and triumph of those who came before; each name holds a story, and their story gives way to Christ’s story. God works through the unexpected people and stories of the past and present. When you zoom in, you may not be able to see how each character propels the story forward, but when you zoom out, you can see how each story is woven together into a larger tapestry. The Isaiah passage illustrates a convergence of opposing groups and identities coming together. Instead of the way of the past—of war—they learn a new way by transforming their weapons into gardening tools.

What are the old paths that we’ve followed, and where must we diverge into a new way?

Commentary on Matthew 1:1-17 | by Dr. Christine J. Hong

Just as Christ’s genealogy reveals the relationships across time and space in his life, many of our names also tie us to the generations who come before us and those who will come after us. Matthew lists the names of Jesus’ forebearers as a marker of hope finally realized. Even today, names are the seeded hope of one generation planted in another. They are the thread that connects our histories, stories, and futures. We are the hopes of those who’ve come before, and we live in hope for those who will come after us.

In the Korean tradition, male babies are named by the oldest patriarch on the father’s side of a family. My paternal grandfather died before I was born, so it was my maternal grandfather who built my name. Even before I was born, he declared he would build a meaningful name for me (even though I was not a boy). I would receive a name with intention from the oldest living generation to the newest. He gave me the name Jin, which when paired with my surname, becomes Hong Jin, meaning “something precious in the wide expanse.” When I was born, he was not sure when he would get to meet his granddaughter with the vast ocean separating South Korea from California. In those days, it was not so easy or affordable to fly internationally. The name represented the connection he felt to me and my parents, despite what felt like an insurmountable distance between us. What is the Spirit of God if not the hope against hope in our lives?

My grandfather knew about hope against hope; he died at 101 years old, a survivor of war and displacement, excruciating trauma and loss. Yet, I knew him as a loving human with a joyful disposition, a spiritual and humble man, my biggest fan, the person who left me the gift of my name—connecting me through that name to the hope he bore through so much tragedy. Three years ago, I passed the gift of the name Jin to my daughter, Tae-Jin, giving her the part of the name my grandfather built for me. Her name means “precious light.” Through her name, she is connected to her great-grandfather, to his stories, his hopes, his spiritual presence. As she grows, she will become part of a larger story by weaving in her own stories as seeds of hope against hope for someone new.

Questions for Reflection
• Many have sought to answer why Matthew’s genealogy is traced through Joseph instead of through Mary’s lineage. There are many guesses. In Jewish tradition, the legality of the royal throne passes through the paternal line. Tracing Christ’s lineage through Joseph connects Jesus to David (fulfilling the prophecies in Isaiah). Some say that this shows that adoption is just as legitimate as bloodline in biblical records. Why does Matthew begin Christ’s story with his ancestry? What is significant about how this ancestry is traced? How do you tell the beginning of your story? How do you tell the beginning of your church’s story?

• Luke’s genealogy of Christ diverges from Matthew’s. Some scholars propose that the Aramaic in verse 16 should introduce Joseph as Mary’s father, not her husband, therefore tracing the genealogy through Mary. In some ways, the record of Jesus’ family tree is like a tapestry of mismatched strings woven together. Theologically, how does the untidiness of Jesus’ lineage emphasize how God grafts family in different and unexpected ways? How might this create room for stories of blended families, families through adoption, or families who don’t know their ancestry? How does this create room for your story?

• Isaiah’s prophecy paints a powerful illustration of regeneration—of weapons of war becoming plows that break up soil and shears that prune away dead branches. Within your life, church, or community, what needs to be unearthed or dug up? What needs to be pruned away? What steps are required for this work to take place? Where is God regenerating a new path forward?