For three weeks in December we will be looking at the stories of Jesus’ birth found in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke.  David will be offering this Advent Study on Wednesday’s in December at 12 noon (bring a lunch) or 6 PM Wednesday nights.  December 4, 11 and 18th.  How peculiar it is to find that the actual Gospel Nativities are the part of Jesus’ biography about which Bible experts have the greatest sense of uncertainty–even more than the scripture about the miracles Jesus performed or his sacrificial death. Indeed, the Christmas story that Christians know by heart is actually a collection of mysteries. Where was Jesus actually born? Who showed up to celebrate his arrival? How do the details of the stories reflect the specific outreach agendas of the men who wrote them?  Two different “Christmas Stories” are in our Scriptures and we will look at what Matthew was trying to say about Jesus’ birth and what Luke is making sure everyone knows about the birth of Christ.  The birth of Christ, Emmanuel, is supposed to be a transformative experience for us.  This year can we look at the Advent Season as a time of change—real transformation in our lives.