The English language is full of ways of saying that someone comes from an unimportant place. He's from the sticks. The boonies. Some podunk down. The hood. The middle of nowhere. In western North Carolina, where I grew up, there is a country town called Swannanoa. People sometimes called it Swannanowhere.

Jesus was from such a nowhere. But what I want to show you from Matthew 2 is that Jesus, the King from nowhere, brings joy to a weeping world.

Matthew actually tells us about three places Jesus came from. First, Jesus is from Bethlehem. Second, Jesus is (surprise) from Egypt. And third, Jesus is from Nazareth -- the middle of nowhere. Read more . . .