Preparing to Receive Christ

A reflection on Matthew 1:18-25 and Isaiah 7:10-16

Dec 24, 2025

∙ Paid

In front of my favourite painting “Annunciation,” by Henry Ossawa Tanner (1898) at Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Merry (almost) Christmas, friends! This week, the priest at my church asked me to share a reflection on the readings for this week (Matthew 1:18-25 and Isaiah 7:10-16). I thought I might share my thoughts here as well. Wishing you all a beautifu…

Keep reading with a 7-day free trial

Subscribe to Joy Clarkson to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.