"The birth of Jesus Christ was this way," Matthew 1:18.
Ever wonder about ancestry? How many generations back can you give names without a break? (I can barely do it to 150 years ago.) Before Matthew pens that line about Jesus' nativity, he has already detailed fourteen generations - well, actually, three sets of fourteen generations back. Forty-two. About 2,000 years. About fourteen from Joseph (and Mary) back through Jehoiakim (and Nehushta) and the deportation, about fourteen more through David (and Bathsheba), and another fourteen to Abraham (and Sarah). Baby Jesus, this mortal manchild, comes with some history. Some 4,000 years ago childless seniors, a man and woman, believed God's promise to make of their barrenness an innumerable, blessing nation. So here we are. Through a born child with some history.
Contacting a brother or sister today, we remind each other of God's faithfulness throughout the generations. We remind of the kingdom of heaven, of which we are children. And we give thanks, together.
No comments:
Post a Comment