This is the first Sunday in advent, and the scripture is (part of) Matthew’s version of the genealogy of Jesus, and the focus of the sermon is the significance of family ancestry.  In our own hunger to know more about our ancestry we find a richness and foundation.  The genealogy of Jesus in Matthew may well not be historically accurate, but the point is to establish the identity of Jesus.   Five women, whose stories are somewhat scandalous, are included in the genealogy, and in her sermon Carol examines the story of each of those women.  The writer of Matthew clearly points out the scandalous nature of each of those stories.  In spite of those stories in which we can see human imperfections, we can also see Jesus as the Savior whose purity comes through all of those human imperfections, demonstrating that God can work through such imperfections, and also demonstrating that in spite of anything scandalous in our own lives, we are children of God.   (NOTE: Reflecting the importance of the Word, the video begins with the scripture, but once it starts you can scroll back to the beginning of the service if you want.  The entire service is videoed.)