Tag Archives: Genealogy

Inherited Traits

Advent

December 2, 2019

Scripture Reading: Isaiah 11:1-10

A shoot shall come out from the stock of Jesse,
   and a branch shall grow out of his roots.
The spirit of the Lord shall rest on him,
   the spirit of wisdom and understanding,
   the spirit of counsel and might,
   the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.
His delight shall be in the fear of the Lord.

He shall not judge by what his eyes see,
   or decide by what his ears hear;
but with righteousness he shall judge the poor,
   and decide with equity for the meek of the earth;
he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth,
   and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.
Righteousness shall be the belt around his waist,
   and faithfulness the belt around his loins. –Isaiah 11:1-5

My penchant for genealogy colors most of the ways I intake information. Thus, it is meaningful to me that David’s lineage is referenced in this scripture. Jesse was the son of Ohed, and the grandson of Boaz and Ruth. Ruth was a Moabite woman. Boaz was apparently a successful farmer who was aware of the needs of others and instructed his worker to leave grain in the field for those without other resources to harvest and eat. Jesse followed in his grandfather’s work as a farmer and sheep breeder in Bethlehem. He raised all his sons to be hard workers even his youngest, David. Someone in this family must also to have enjoyed music as David played the harp. Even played the harp to calm King Saul’s savaged soul.

What legacy are we leaving the children in our world to carry forth into the future. Are we teaching them the value of people from other cultures? Are they learning to feed the hungry? Are we creating a world where hard work results in a living wage? Do we spread joy and peace of mind through the sound of music? Are we living righteously while propagating a just world?

Prayer: Lord, during this Advent time help us identify the positive impacts of our ancestors and others who have gone before us and pass them on to all children.  Also, help us filter out any negative traits passed down through the generations that do not foster love for you and love for one another. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

Weave Us Together

Living in the Spirit
July 7, 2014

 Scripture Reading: Genesis 25:19-24 

These are the descendants of Isaac, Abraham’s son: Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac was forty years old when he married Rebekah, daughter of Bethuel the Aramean of Paddan-aram, sister of Laban the Aramean. — Matthew 11:28-30  

When I can carve out the time, genealogy is one of my favorite pursuits. For me, I am sure that is tied closely to my love of history. The opening of our scripture today is innocent enough. The announcement of the coming birth of Isaac’s first child, actually to be his first two children as Rebekah is expecting twins. Isaac, the son that was so important in that society, was to carry on the family name and tradition. Of course, if we read the previous chapters in Genesis we know that Abraham had an older son by Hagar, Ishmael, but he is not mentioned here. In fact Ishmael is only mentioned again in a positive light when he returns to help bury his father.

It is amazing to me sometimes when I find some little tidbit of family history how much my ancestors are reflected in my current family. I am truly a white Anglo-Saxon protestant but each of the eight lines I track introduce slight variations that have passed through the centuries to me.  One of my paternal great grandfathers was blinded fighting for the North in the Civil War. One of my maternal great grandfathers was a slave owner and a Confederate captain in this War Between the States. These facts of history shaped my grandparents who shaped my parents who shaped me.

So goes the family of God. Abraham’s relationship with God shaped Isaac and we shall soon see how Isaac’s relationship with God shaped the babies in Rebekah’s womb. As we read these stories let us pay particular attention to how God weaves in and through our human families to continue God’s love throughout the generations.

Prayer:  We are many textures, we are many colors,
               Each one different from the other.
               But we are entwined in one another in one great tapestry…
               Weave us together, together in love.* Amen.

* From the song Weave, words and music by Rosemary Crow

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights reserved.