Matthew TwoSix:ThreeNine

Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida. Philip found Nathaniel and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”  “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathaniel asked. “Come and see,” said Philip. - John 1:44‭-‬46 NIV I have been to places that I just think look desolate and hopeless. Not necessarily a city, but parts of cities and neighborhoods. The buildings are in disrepair, addiction and crime have taken over, and the life just seems to be sucked out of the space. I'm not sure if that is what Nazareth was like, but that's the picture I get in my head when I read Nathaniel's response.   I think we all have times in our lives that we resemble my mental picture of Nazareth. We are in such a dark place, we can't imagine anything good coming from us in this place. Maybe it's addiction, or shame, or an infidelity, or deceit, ...