Jesus' Family Tree

The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ. ~ Matthew 1:1

It appears to be a long, boring list of names. Perhaps you only skimmed through it, or maybe you stopped reading soon after you began. It's hard to read through a full biblical genealogy. But genealogies are included in the Bible for good reasons, and this one is no exception. This genealogy reminds us that the story of Jesus' birth begins with the stories of those who came before him, stories that contain some seedy characters. There was Tamar, who tricked her father-in-law, Judah, into giving her a son. There was Rahab, who was a known prostitute. There was King David, who initiated an affair with the wife of Uriah. Jesus' birth narrative included prostitutes and adulterers. It's the kind of story someone might cover up, or at least leave out some details. But Matthew 1 contains the full, raw story. Why would God allow the whole story to be told? Because it's important to remember why Jesus was born: to bring restoration, forgiveness, healing, and new life. The place where we hide - where there is sin and remorse and guilt - are the places where the Messiah wants to show up.

We all have parts of ourselves that we don't want others to know about. We hide events from our past and sins we indulge in the present. The Christmas story can touch even those places. Spend some time in confession today, being honest with God about something you've been hiding. Then receive forgiveness from the God who can wave a redemption story into the seediest of plot lines.

Come, Lord Jesus, into the dark places of my life. Amen.

So Many Churches

There is one body and one Spirit. (Ephesians 4:4)

Why are there so many different churches and denominations?

One way to respond to this question would be to trace the events that led to the formation of each major Christian group -- the split in 1054 between eastern and western churches, the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century, the Wesleyan revivals in the 18th, and the rise of Pentecostalism in the 20th. We could explain the various splits that have happened within major denominations. But this approach hardly helps people who are confused by this fragmenting.

For some, the answer lies in human sinfulness. The factors that lead to different church groups include struggles for power and personality conflicts; political, economic, and ethnic forces have played a part as well. On this view, the existence of various churches is a witness to our sinful divisions.

However, I do not believe that the existence of various churches is in itself evil. It can be the occasion for sin when different denominations operate with a pride of superiority. But it's also possible for Christians in one denomination to look upon those in other groups as genuine brothers and sisters, and to cooperate with them in the service of Jesus Christ.

Let's not apologize for our diversity, but then let's not defend division either. Let's make the fullest contribution we can to the group to which we ourselves belong, even as we welcome all others who name the name of Christ.

Unite us in your love, Oh God.

Tick Tock....

Who's clock is that you hear?

You have done foolishly. You have not kept the command of the Lord your God, with which he commanded you. (1 Samuel 13:13)

God's timing is always right, because God is always right! Think of the times in Scripture when the people chose impatiently to take matters into their own hands. Adam and Eve eating from the forbidden tree, Aaron making a golden calf, David sleeping with Bathsheba, Jonah fleeing to Tarshish, Peter cutting off the ear of Malchus. Do you remember the consequences that followed?

The fruit of the Spirit includes patience (Galatians 5:22). Paul writes that love is patient (1 Corinthians 13:4). In our text for today, Saul does not demonstrate patience and trust in God's timing; instead, he takes matters into his own hands. His motivation to do so includes challenges we may face in our own lives: fear and stress, as the people began deserting Saul while his enemies loomed on the horizon. The Evil One uses such things to tempt us to disobedience.

Saul broke the command of the Lord, and it resulted in the prophetic loss of his kingdom and the appointment of a new king (1 Samuel 13:13-14). Imagine hearing what Saul was told: "You have done foolishly. You have not kept the command of the Lord your God." What could we potentially lose through disobedience?

The better choice is to faithfully trust in God's timing and obey his commands. God gives us his word so that we have direction, boundaries, peace and joy.

Mighty Savior, help me to keep my eyes and heart focused on you rather than foolishly taking matters into my own hands. Amen.

2011 Halftime Show

Sofia took a pom clinic for a week, and this is the culmination of that week...the halftime show at the September 30 Nike Invitational Bolingbrook Raiders game. Sofia is in the 2nd row on the end....the tiny one....she did a FANTASTIC job!