Hello ICC Family!
When my dad drove out from Kansas to spend Christmas with us, he brought several things that mom had set aside for us, now that we have our own home for the first time. It was very important to mom that Laurel got her very large set of Spode Christmas dishes. I think the reason primarily being that nobody else in the family had ever shown any interest in receiving it. Some day we are going to have to throw the grandest formal Christmas party in order to at least use those dishes once!
My dad also brought three boxes of documents and photos and charts related to the Bohrer family. You see, he has been interested in genealogy for decades and has collected A LOT of research. So, we spent several days looking at all of this yet again. Perhaps because dad is planning to visit Ellie in Germany in a couple of months, and that is where our ancestors and our family name comes from. Bohrer means drill or miner in German. Dad has traced our family back to the early 1600’s to southern Germany and the area around Bern, Switzerland. He is hoping to hire someone there that could help him go back even further.
When I was younger, I didn’t care much at all about any of the family history. I remember spending one family summer vacation visiting courthouses in Ohio so my dad could do more research. No Disney World for us! Anyway, that probably left a bad taste in my mouth for all things genealogy related. But now I must admit that I am interested as well and find it amazing how much my dad has pieced together. Information about family members that immigrated to the U.S. and then others that emigrated back to Europe. The family includes a Civil War surgeon - a bonafide hero, but also a convicted murderer. Our family tree, like everyone’s, contains all kinds of people.
I am writing about this because the next passage we come to as we make our way through Luke is Jesus’ genealogy. And while I don’t think I would have been able to preach an entire sermon about this list of names, there is a reason that Luke passes this information to us…
“Now Jesus himself was about thirty years old when he began his ministry. He was the son, so it was thought, of Joseph, the son of Heli, 24 the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Melki, the son of Jannai, the son of Joseph, 25 the son of Mattathias, the son of Amos, the son of Nahum, the son of Esli, the son of Naggai, 26 the son of Maath, the son of Mattathias, the son of Semein, the son of Josek, the son of Joda, 27 the son of Joanan, the son of Rhesa, the son of Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, the son of Neri, 28 the son of Melki, the son of Addi, the son of Cosam, the son of Elmadam, the son of Er, 29 the son of Joshua, the son of Eliezer, the son of Jorim, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, 30 the son of Simeon, the son of Judah, the son of Joseph, the son of Jonam, the son of Eliakim, 31 the son of Melea, the son of Menna, the son of Mattatha, the son of Nathan, the son of David, 32 the son of Jesse, the son of Obed, the son of Boaz, the son of Salmon, the son of Nahshon, 33 the son of Amminadab, the son of Ram, the son of Hezron, the son of Perez, the son of Judah, 34 the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham, the son of Terah, the son of Nahor, 35 the son of Serug, the son of Reu, the son of Peleg, the son of Eber, the son of Shelah, 36 the son of Cainan, the son of Arphaxad, the son of Shem, the son of Noah, the son of Lamech, 37 the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch, the son of Jared, the son of Mahalalel, the son of Kenan, 38 the son of Enosh, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.”
Luke 3:23-38
By giving us this list of people – the ancestry of Jesus’ human family… Luke reminded all of us that the Son of God was also the Son of Man, with an ancestry that contains all kinds of people – heroes and murderers and everyone in-between. He would have been shaped in some ways by his family’s faithfulness and courage, but their sinfulness and lack of faith did not get passed down to him. And of course, it is not his earthly family heritage through which we are saved anyway. It is through his own perfect faithfulness as the Son of God and Son of Man. Therefore, He can identify with our needs and our problems such that He is the perfect Mediator between God and man. What a Savior we have!
I hope you find the time… no, I hope you take the time this week to read about and pray to and worship our Savior. He loves you and knows your every need! If you are struggling to find the time to study his Word or to pray… come tonight at 6:15 and do that with your brothers and sisters. Come on Sunday at 9:30 for our Sunday discipleship time. You are not alone, and we want to do all we can to encourage each other… and all the more as we see the day approaching!
Praying for you!
Pastor Aaron