The Messiah: A Nobody from Nowhere?

Why does Matthew write that the prophets say the Messiah will come from Nazareth when there is no such reference anywhere in the Old Testament? In Matthew’s birth narrative, Joseph is warned to flee to Egypt to escape the murderous plans of King Herod. After Herod dies, Joseph is told to return with his...

When It’s Hard to Believe in Immanuel

The people who need the most to hear the news of Immanuel—that God is with them, are the people who have the least reason to believe that he is. When you live in relative comfort, it’s easy to believe in Immanuel.  God is with us?  Well, of course he is.  The evidence is all around!  We have life, liberty,...

The Incarnation: More than the Cradle and the Cross

Though the cross is the main symbol of Christianity, I have talked with some people who seem to think that the crucifixion of Jesus was the saving event of the incarnation, and everything that came before was simply prerequisite to that saving event. Indeed, a lot of the language of the church would lead to...

The Incarnation Lens

In my last post I wrote about the relationship between the Old Testament and the New. In a culture that tends to value the new over the old, it’s not surprising to find that Christians tend to elevate the New Testament over the Old, whether by considering it to be mere background to the really good stuff...

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