At last, on this fourth and final Sunday of Advent, the gospel reading steps away from the story of John the Baptist and his ministry. Finally we move toward the venue of Jesus’ birth.

Perhaps the most delightful difference between the gospels of Matthew and Luke is their distinctive choices of where to start. Matthew, the historian, begins with a timeline, a genealogy that carefully traces the Davidic lineage. Like any good Jewish family flow-chart, the focus is on the male descendants. Not surprisingly, Matthew’s birth narrative is presented more from Joseph’s perspective. But Luke the story-teller begins with a long, interwoven tale about miraculous births . . . and such. Luke’s focus is on mothers more than fathers. It is Luke’s gospel that gives us precious details of Mary’s perspectiv…