Can’t Stop God’s Love Stories

My cousin and I were excited to meet up with four of our cousins who we hadn’t seen or even talked to for over forty years. We spoke of our grandparents with their 10 children. “Remember Grandpa’s preaching? He spared no words.” “Remember how precious Grandma was?” “What about those huge meals she’d cook — roast, chicken AND squirrel? She was the best cook EVER!” “I remember Grandma saying ‘You just gotta’ love!” “Grandma introduced me to my boy friend and later we married.”

I loved relishing the memories of many years gone by with our cousins and we expressed such gratitude for our ancestors who planted deep faith and strong moral ethics into all of us.

Unbeknownst to my cousin, Mary Ellen, and me, we found out that some of our family roots go back to John Rolfe and Pocahontas. They were our 10th generation great grandparents. Yay! I’m multi-racial!! There’s a tiny percentage of Native American in me! And I thought I had no famous folks in my family lineage!! Now I can claim fame!

There is a woman in my community who loves to study and look up the genealogies of our residents. We might all be surprised who is in our family’s lineage. Or, maybe we don’t really want to know since word has it that some of our relatives weren’t of good character and morals and had some serious flaws and issues.

Since we are smack dab in the middle of Christmas, I think it’s time to take a look at the genealogy of Jesus and a few of the unlikely people who were His royal ancestors. I think we may be delighted that our own ancestors might have proven more solid in character and honor than the ancestors of the Son of God.

There was Rahab who was a prostitute (Joshua 2). There was David who raped his warrior’s wife and then had her husband killed to cover up his own sin. Then David’s son, Solomon, was a polygamist and kept a harem of 700 wives and 300 concubines. Sheesh!

Hopefully, our family tree is a lot less colorful than Jesus’ family tree. But, remarkably, the Bible doesn’t cover up all those misfits in Jesus’ family. In fact, it made Him the perfect candidate to identify with our own family tree — with our own brokenness.

In our own past or the past of our family, there is someone or something hidden in shame or sin. But if Jesus’ family tree teaches us anything, it’s that God’s love prevails.

Whether we can trace our family history back three generations or fourteen, God has carved us into His family tree. How wonderful is that? We really ARE famous.

Nothing we or our family’s bloodline can do will disqualify us from Christ’s love which poured out from His side on the Cross. Please let Christ’s blood wash over your family’s lineage, bringing forgiveness, mercy, and love to you and your family for generations to come.

Here’s to your family tree! If it weren’t for them, you wouldn’t be! And, today, for all of us, we can be ever grateful to be in the Family Tree of Father God, His Son Jesus and Holy Spirit!