Today’s readings give the genealogy of Jesus Christ’s family. In my view a reader’s nightmare of names. From Abraham to Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ.

And the final verse…So all the generations from Abraham to David were fourteen generations, and from David to the deportation to Babylon fourteen generations, and from the deportation to Babylon to the Christ fourteen generations.

There are five women named in the gospel,

1. Tamar
2. Ruth
3. Rahab
4. wife of Uri’ah
5. Mary

Tamar disguised herself as a harlot, and was hired by Judah with whom she had twin sons.

Ruth was King David’s great-grandmother. Ruth was a woman of noble character.

Rahab was a prostitute who lived in Jericho in the Promised Land and assisted the Israelites in capturing the city.

wife of Uri’ah, doesn’t even deserve a name in the gospel, but we know her as Bathsheba and she and King David committed adultery.

And finally, Mary, Queen of Heaven and Earth.

We could say Jesus has quite a colorful family tree. This reading also shows us Jesus as divine because he has no earthly father mentioned but yet we can trace him come from the tree Jesse. All as foretold.

Who could imagine that the promised one would come from kings, shepherds, murders, peasants, soldiers, enter the world illegitimate, homeless, a refugee, and ultimately, an executed criminal?

In this time of Advent may we prepare our hearts for the King to arrive, the maker of heaven and earth, who hung the stars and counted the hairs on my head, the one who has as colorful of a family tree as anyone of us and he still loves us as we are.