Advent Day 5 :: Family Roots
“And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God.” (Luke 1:34-35)
We learned in Genesis 3:15 that the Messiah would be born of the seed of a woman, and that line started with Adam and Eve. All throughout Scripture we find at different points where there is a pause and a genealogy is given. You know? The long lists of names, half of which we can’t pronounce, so we skip over them and think nothing more of it. I like to think of those as breadcrumbs all through the books of the Bible in which we can continue to track the lineage of Jesus Christ.
Genesis 3 tells us that Jesus would be born of a woman - beginning with Eve and ending in Mary as we see in the passage of Luke 1. The angel came down to Mary to deliver the news that she would give birth to the Messiah.Both in Matthew 1 and Luke 3 we find the trail of breadcrumbs that lead us right up to Mary and Joseph. If you took some time you can begin to connect those genealogies to others in the Old Testament, taking you back all the way to Adam and Eve.
A few years ago I was contacted by a gentleman who found our family tree through Ancestry.com. I was a bit alarmed but quickly realized that my mother and I had started a family tree on Ancestry a while back. Through our conversation we were able to continue adding to our family tree and learn more about our ancestors.
We can do the same in Christ. John 1:12 tells us “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,” Through the coming of Christ, all who believe in Him have become sons and daughters of God. We’ve become brothers and sisters of Jesus Christ through faith. It also means that we have become co-heirs with Christ. (Romans 8:17)
When we stop and think about it, we have a pretty large family. Not just in the community you live in, but all around the world. We’re all a part of God’s family. We have a heavenly Father that loves us so much that He willingly sent His only Son to die for our sins and make us a part of His family.
Christmas may look different this year for all of us. It may mean that we’ll only get to celebrate with those in our immediate household, and a few others. We may not be able to see those we want to see, or be around the ones we want to share the holidays with. For some it may feel a bit more lonely than years past. But let us find comfort that we are not alone. Christ came to give life and life to the full. One of those ways was by bringing us together as family. There will be millions of people celebrating the coming of the Messiah, the King, our Savior.
Who around you can you encourage this holiday season? Which one of your brothers or sisters in Christ do you think may need some cheer?
In a season of quarantine and isolation, let us come together as family. We’ll obviously be in contact with loved ones and friends afar, but let us not forget our spiritual family.
“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:34-35)
Let us show the world around us the love of God, by loving one another. The coming of Christ was a monumental act of love, grace and mercy. From the grace shown to Adam and Eve down to the love and mercy born of Mary and Joseph, let us continue the work Christ started by simply loving one another.
What are some ways you can do that this month? Is there a neighbor that needs some help? Is there an organization you can volunteer with that is reaching others in our community?
Let us all go forth as children of God, as co-heirs with Christ, and bring peace, joy, love, and grace to those around us.
Further Reading: 1 John 3
