First Steps – June 24, 2019

Lately I’ve been thinking about genealogies. Don’t worry this is not a plug for Ancestry.com. In the depths of our identity, we want to know our origin, our make-up, our community, and all those things that make us who we are. Something is adrift until we know. When we know who we are, it gives meaning and purpose.

For a 1st Century Jew, their uniqueness stemmed from their origin—their beginning. When they read the Holy Scriptures, it was like reading a family album. One of the great tragedies in Judeo-Christian History was the destruction of the Temple in 70AD. Because the Temple housed many genealogies, when it was destroyed, all those records were lost to history.

Interestingly enough, The Gospels of Matthew and Luke spend a great amount of time around the genealogy of Jesus. What they say to the reader is “regardless of what you know about Jesus, he is genealogically qualified to be the Messiah.” Once you know who Jesus is, you can better understand his purpose. Next time you want to gloss over all those biblical genealogies, stop for a moment, and see the purpose behind them. They give us a starting point, an origin.


 

This week’s reading:

  • Monday – Heb 5, Heb 6, Heb 7, Heb 8
  • Tuesday – Heb 9, Heb 10, Heb 11
  • Wednesday – Heb 12, Heb 13
  • Thursday – James 1, James 2, James 3, James 4, James 5
  • Friday – 1 Peter 1, 1 Peter 2, 1 Peter 3, 1 Peter 4, 1 Peter 5

 

Please Pray for:

  • St. Paul children and youth ministries.
  • The Ukraine Mission Team.
  • Ongoing Building Renovations, Modifications.
  • Our families, homes, workplace, church, and community.
  • Those who are unwillingly absent.
  • Those who are grieving and depressed.
  • The United Methodist Church.
  • Our nation and our leaders.