December 24, 2011: Christmas Eve (Early) Solemn Vespers Matthew 1:18-25 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.  Joseph is the father of Jesus. Does that scandalize you? Joseph is the father of Jesus. That is the point St. Matthew is making in the first chapter of his gospel.  He begins this way: “The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham.” Genealogies were important to the Jews. The first book of the Bible, Genesis, is filled with them. And not just genealogies—lists of fathers and sons—for the sake of nostalgia. The biblical genealogies are the record of a promise, a promise made by God, long ago, to our first parents,…