Consider studying Jesus’ family tree during advent

My interest in genealogy began when our daughter Kelley was born because I wanted her to know her family history. Who were her ancestors? Where did they come from?

Once I started digging into the past, I discovered genealogy was like a treasure hunt. First, I started asking family members questions about what they remembered. My maternal grandmother spent a week with me a couple of years before she passed away and I asked her everything I could think to ask.

I regret that three of my grandparents died before I thought about writing down their memories. They say when an elderly person dies it’s as if a library burns. Moses wrote, “Remember the days of old, Consider the years of many generations. Ask your father, and he will show you; Your elders, and they will tell you” Deuteronomy 32:7.

It’s been said that the faintest ink is better than the strongest memory. Write or record audio/video of your elders while they can tell you what life was like growing up, how they met and married their spouse, what they recall about their parents and grandparents. Family gatherings during the holidays give us time together to ask grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins about their Christmas memories.

As we celebrate Advent the four weeks before Christmas, consider studying Jesus’ genealogy and the lessons we can learn from His lineage. Matthew chapter one proves His mother’s ancestry and fulfills centuries-old prophecies about His coming. Luke chapter three traces Mary’s genealogy all the way back to Adam and to God.

Jesus’ ancestors include familiar Bible names such as Abraham, Isaac, Noah, David and Solomon – flawed men of faith. Jesus’ family tree includes some “characters,” like most families find when researching previous generations.

Jesus’ lineage includes Jacob, whose name means deceiver, and he lived up to his name. You’ll find Rahab, a former harlot from Jericho, the great-grandmother of King David. (I can relate to David because one of my great-grandmothers was described as “notorious.”) Jesus’ genealogy reads like a description of the kind of people for which He came to die.

Author Michael Phillips once wrote, “In the Old and New Testament, God works through the generational flow of family and nation; both sin and righteousness sow seeds and harvest fruit into succeeding generations. Jesus himself came, not as a mere individual, but as a man born into the uninterrupted flow of the history of God’s people. Son of God, Son of Man, Son of David, He brought God’s salvation to the world through the heritage of family, through the legacy of man’s ancestry and ancient birthright as the creation of our Father in heaven.

“Every life is the result of a series of choices and crossroads – not only ours, but those of our ancestors for generations behind us….We stand at the crossroads of our personal histories, and the decisions we make set into motion values and attitudes that affect not only our own development as men and women made in the image of God, but the choices and decisions that will face our descendants for generations to come.”

So, choose well. Decide wisely. Allow this Christmas season to be a time for adjusting your course for the sake of future generations.

Jan White is a wife, mother, and freelance writer who lives in Andalusia. Her email address is [email protected].