Families

One of the many things my family thinks is weird about me is that I like the very first part of Matthew 1, that long genealogy of Christ. But I do; in fact, it's one of my comfort passages.

You see, Jesus' family was just as dysfunctional as mine. Not only that, but a few folks who sinned as much as I do played roles in God's plan to bring us a savior.

In this list you find harlots, philanderers and killers. Rahab, lady of the night who committed treason to save herself; Judah, who slept with his daughter thinking she was a temple prostitute. And oh by the way, he also took part in selling his own brother to slavers. I fit right in.

And there are a bunch of unknowns. Oh sure, Jesus' forebears included Abraham and David, and some others whose lives are fairly well chronicled. But Shealtiel? Azor? Matthan? These are men who didn't do anything that would have been helpful to include in scripture.

They may have lived quiet lives of dedicated faithfulness, in which case they motivate me not to worry too much about huge acts of faith, but instead to live each moment faithfully. Or maybe they were rogues and scoundrels, which reminds me that God uses even the godless to accomplish His ends. No failure on my part will change one detail in His mighty plan.

But the best part, for me, is the stories of God's faithfulness embedded in this genealogy. Boaz, the faithful kinsman-redeemer of the poor Moabite widow Ruth. Isaac, for whom God provided a wife and life partner who shared his faith when he lived among the heathens. Abraham, who was ready to kill his son, and was given a wild ram (hmmm, could that angel have been Gabriel?). Solomon, God's blessing to His people given to David through the wife he stole, Bathsheba.

It just amazes me that through all the centuries, as God worked out His master plan to defeat Satan and save us, He also strewed blessings in every direction, every step of the way. He patiently taught and faithfully provided and sometimes surprised and shocked His people with His goodness. As He brought history to the day of victory, He also gave joy to husbands and wives, comfort to widows and orphans, strength to those He called to serve Him. With God, everything is about more than just one thing, but one of His favorite things is to bless homes and families, and ordinary people in their ordinary lives.

There's a huge amount of hope for me in this genealogy of Jesus. It's always a perfect start to Advent.