One of my favourite chapters to write in Pleased to Dwell was chapter 8, looking at the ladies that appear in the genealogy of Matthew 1. I won’t go into the detail now, but it is is striking that the line of Christ is not a dream list of superstars. There are certainly some heroes in there, but there are lots of sinners, lots of strugglers, lots of failures.

Even among the women listed, there are question marks galore hanging over their heads (which I think is part of the reason they were chosen for inclusion). The Old Testament line leading to Jesus is not a red carpet, but rather a crimson line of sin. Jesus came from people like us and to people like us. Hallelujah! What a saviour!