“The Word became flesh and made his home among us.
We have seen his glory, glory like that of a father's only son, full of grace and truth.”
John 1:14 CEB
As I think of family this holiday season, I am grateful for the set of footprints my ancestors left for me to follow. Certainly, some of those footprints were not perfect, but they still showed me the way to a perfect God.
An appreciation of my own flawed history helps me see the genealogy of Jesus differently. The stories of many of those listed were not so pretty, either. Adultery, murder, idolatry, and even incest can be found in His bloodline. Simply following religious rules had not given Jesus’ ancestors power over sin, because the blood between them was simply human.
But surprisingly, out of that flawed ancestry, Jesus was born. The Christ child, whose blood was both human AND divine, became the center of Grace for all who believed, for those before and for those after.
Grace is the foundation of relationship…without grace, we see only flaws…without grace, there is no connection. God freely gives us grace when we ask…and He wants us to pass that grace to others, even if they do not ask! Receiving and giving grace is the only way to keep the connection flowing from generation to generation.
Giving grace is not always easy, but I am determined to pass that connection to my teenage granddaughters. Through Jesus’ flawed genealogy, Grace entered the world. Through my flawed ancestors, Grace came to me. So, I can believe that through my imperfect story, His Grace will also flow to the generation that follows me!
This coming year, keep the Grace Connection flowing…
What you freely receive…freely give!
