In the third episode of this Advent series, Tony Watkins talks to Christopher Ash, Writer in Residence at Tyndale House, Cambridge, about the arrival of Mary and Joseph in Bethlehem and the Shepherd's visit to the new baby. This four-part series for Advent is exploring Luke chapters 1 and 2, which are the focus of Christopher’s book of Advent devotions, Repeat the Sounding Joy (The Good Book Company, 2019).

Repeat the Sounding Joy, by Christopher Ash is available from The Good Book Company and other booksellers.

Want to explore some of these issues in more depth? Why not check out some of the articles on our website?

Not in that poor lowly stable: https://tyndalehouse.com/2021/12/08/not-in-that-poor-lowly-stable/
Who were the Magi?: https://tyndalehouse.com/resources/christmas-resources/

Time codes
00:00 introduction
0:51 ’Not Old, Not Young, Not Done'
2:10 Misconceptions around Christmas
5:50 why are Joseph and Mary going to Bethlehem?
7:45 the impact of Joseph and Mary being unmarried
9:05 the shadow of the cross on the nativity
9:55 The shepherds
13:10 Shepherding and Kingship imagery throughout the Bible
14:55 Why does Matthew leave out the Shepherds and Luke leaves the wise men?
16:25 Tension between the two narratives (Matthew and Luke)
17:04 How is the baby a sign to the shepherds?
18:40 The significance of Luke 2:14
22:00 How did Mary understand these things?
25:00 Mary as a model of faith

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Edited by Tyndale House

Music – Acoustic Happy Background used with a standard license from Adobe Stock.

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Repeat the Sounding Joy: Advent Devotionals (Episode 3)