Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John each has his own way of telling the Story of stories--an account of the arrival of the Messiah into our world. Each author writes to a unique audience with a specific purpose in mind for addressing them as he does. But in every case, the author's message connects not only with his specific readers back then, but also with us personally here and now. The Story becomes our story. A Long-Ago Birth in a Right-Now World brings the meaning of Bethlehem from a manger to our doorsteps, where it intersects with our personal needs and fears, hopes and dreams, guilt and grief, priorities, relationships, and spiritual journeys in an oftentimes challenging world.

Michael B. Brown, for many years the senior minister of Marble Collegiate Church in New York City, has been featured on national television specials for ABC, NBC, and PBS. While in New York, he was viewed each week in 167 different countries via live-streaming. He currently teaches biblical studies at High Point University, leads preaching cohorts for practicing pastors at Duke University Divinity School, and travels nationally as a preacher, lecturer, and keynote speaker.