“The record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. Abraham was the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers …” (Matthew 1:1-2)

  These are the opening words of Matthew’s Gospel. He starts with the basics – the genealogy of Jesus.

  Matthew wants to establish that Jesus is the Messiah, the long-awaited One who would fulfill the Old Testament prophecies. That is why he begins with Abraham and works downward through David to Jesus. When I have done my own personal genealogy, I follow the same pattern to prove I was the descendant of Hans Herr, the Mennonite bishop from Switzerland to Lancaster County in 1610, through Jane Herr Sprote Price to Jesse Sheffield Price to Elizabeth Anderson Cochran to me. These are my credentials, just as Matthew begins to establish the Messianic credentials of Jesus.

  Like all of us, Jesus was part of a family. Families, every one of them, can have “complicated matters.” However, God can turn these complications into blessings. If we let Him.  Jesus’ family probably had skeletons in their closets, too. Your family is no different, but they are still your family.

  This season of Advent might be a good to mend or strengthen family ties.

  Spend some quiet time with the Lord today.