This Sunday we’ll be starting a new series in the Gospel of Matthew. I made the commitment a few years back to regularly revisit the story of Jesus, even though I’ve taught through these gospel accounts before. I just honestly believe that Christians need to spend more time with Jesus – meditating on what he taught, considering his example (and what it means for us), and learning to view life through the lens of God’s Kingdom, as Jesus challenged us to do.

Matthew is the first book of the New Testament and it launches us right into God fulfilling the promises he made to Abraham and sending the One the prophets had been forecasting through the ages. The cryptic message is scattered all through the Hebrew Bible: “Someone is coming who will redeem and restore”!

That’s all pretty exciting, until we start reading and realize we get dropped right into a lengthy genealogy. Don’t let it throw you. That’s what we’ll be looking at this Sunday – Matthew 1:1-17 – and we’ll consider what that list of names can actually tell us (and it’s pretty great)!

We’ll also take a look at just what “gospel” means and why it’s associated with Jesus. I hope you can join us as we begin this amazing journey into the life of Christ!

Click here for a pdf of the teaching slideshow.