Perspectives Podcast, Season 2, Episode 13: Who Is the Good News For – Parents Coming Home

In this week’s Perspectives Pastors Podcast, Rev. Brittany and Rev. Trudy continue the Advent season discussion, this time focusing parents coming home, as inspired by Luke 2:1-5. It’s the well-known story of soon-to-be-parents Joseph and Mary traveling home to Bethlehem as required by the mandatory government registration, commonly told during Christmas Eve services.

But the specificity of Luke’s retelling of the Christmas story isn’t entirely historically accurate when it comes to the timeline and tax census details … which can cause people to question the validity of the rest of the story.

So, Rev. Brittany and Rev. Trudy apply their biblical study knowledge to sort out the historical exaggerations, theological statements, and societal burdens of Joseph and Mary’s time to weave together Luke’s plausible intent for his approach to the story of the birth of Jesus.

Along the way, they ask how the Good News applies to Mary and Joseph and all others who are impacted by the arrival of a baby – especially when it brings a whole new set of financial, emotional, and societal stressors.

Get ready for a whole new take this well-known biblical passage! If it gives you something you’d like to discuss with others, be sure to head over to Patreon where you can connect with our online community and unlock some additional inspiration. Or connect with our in-person Convergence group. Either way, we invite you to think about these questions:

1. How do you stretch the truth when you tell stories?
2. Which fictional story contains elements of truth for you?
3. What power do you think a baby holds?

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Our online community has started to grow, so we’ve launched a Patreon channel! Located at Patreon.com/fumcsd, it’s a place where you can discuss the ideas from each episode, access some additional resources, and help support our digital ministry. When you become a free member, you’ll unlock the ability to discuss answers posed in each week’s podcast episode. There is also an option to unlock some extras by becoming a paid supporter at $5 or $10 per month.