So this is a busy time for everyone so I really want to try to keep it brief. First, this is a great devotion too if you're looking for a great perspective... (plus I am biased, because my mom wrote it): click here. I am similar to my mom obviously, but I didn't know we had this in common, I always used to skim the genealogies listed in the beginning of books/chapters. I mean let's get to the important stuff right?! But my mom is right, there is valuable information found in this list of who comes from who.
As we approach the Christmas holiday there's a lot of talk and emphasis on family. That's a great thing, and I am still never really sure why we need a holiday to spend time with family, but that's beside the point. With my family gatherings a big part of the time together is obviously catching up, but also a considerable amount of time is spent on story telling about history, and about family members who passed away. i am reminded of that one weird line in "It's the most wonderful time of the year" which says there will be scary ghost stories and tales of the glory of Christmases long long ago. Well the explanation I like the most is in relation to Charles Dickens "A Christmas Carol" which in all truth should be scary, especially with the GHOST of Christmas future. But we also love to tell tales of the glory of Christmases long long ago, which almost always involve family!
Here's the wrap up and the point. Remember we made in God's image. Our feelings, our minds, aren't original to us. We are mere imitations of the Creator. We have a love and fondness for family and family history because God has first created and loved families. This genealogy shows the family of Christ is much more than just his earthly mother and father. He comes from a long long line of people who had a relationship with God the father. Jesus is part of a BIG family. Matthew is taking the time to recap the tales of the glory of Christmases long long ago. And the cool thing is we are part of the family too. Christ is our brother! How awesome?! So when we sit around fires telling stories of past Christmases and family memories, let's not forget the best story of all...When God became our brother by being born in Bethlehem in a lowly stable to earthly parents.
And we pray
Dear God our father in heaven, thank you so much for the gift of families. By being part of a human family, you know the brokenness that can surround us, the strained and dysfunctional relationships, the hurt and pain that can come from family members both recent and far past, but God you also know the joy and love families can bring. Be part of my family God. Dwell with me and my family. Show each of us your way so that we might find the joy and forgive the hurt. In your son and our brother's name we pray; Amen!
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