Gordon Tinker, father of Pastor David Tinker, age 80 and then age 17.
Bible Readings and Devotion for August 24, 2020
Here are the references for the readings. Please look these up in your print Bible, your smartphone app Bible, or your online Bible:
Devotion for August 24, 2020
By Pastor David Tinker
Many years ago my father was traveling for business from Houston to Alaska. He worked for an oil company with fields and offices in that far northern state. Sitting next to him was another man. This man had black hair, and a dark, brown skin tone. He noted that he was from a certain tribe of first nations peoples in North America.
After a few minutes of conversation, he turned to my father and asked, “What tribe are you from?”
My father replied, “I am not from any tribe.”
The many replied, “No, you are an Indian. I can see it in your face. You look like an Indian.”
My father replied, “I don’t have any known Indian ancestry.”
The man finish, “I know an Indian when I see one.”
I have had a man from China insist that I am Chinese, so there is something in our DNA which highlights Asian, and eventually Native American, appearance.
Several years ago, my family did some of those ancestry genetic analysis kits. We checked for what was for my mother’s side and my father’s side. Some of what we found out was expected, while other aspects were surprising.
What was not surprising were the things we already knew. We have ancestry going back to England, Scotland, Ireland, Germany, Sweden, and Norway. What was surprising, based on the story above, was that the DNA analysis showed no American Indian or First Nations ancestry. The other surprise was that there was ancestry from Afghanistan. We do not have enough record of how that got in there, but it is part of who we are.
Today we have a genealogy of Jesus’ family listed. This list legitimately ties Jesus in through adoption to the family of his step-father Joseph. This family line listed leads back to three major people of the Biblical Narrative. These three connect Jesus to the great work and promises of God for the world.
*David – verse 31 – He is the greatest King of Israel. God promised a king in David’s family line forever. Jesus is the ultimate and eternal king in that line.
*Abraham – verse 34 – He is the great patriarch of Israel, leading from Abraham, to Isaac, to Jacob/Israel. God made the covenant for Abraham and his family to be blessed to be a blessing for the whole world. Jesus is the centerpiece of that great blessing to the world.
*Adam – verse 38 – He is the first of the human family. Jesus is the one who brings life, forgiveness, and redemption to the human family through his death on the cross and his rising from the dead. 1 Corinthians 15:21-22
This genealogy of Jesus is also, in a sense, our genealogy. We are linked to Jesus both through creation, and through the work of God. By faith and baptism our story gets linked to the story of God’s work in Jesus.
These genealogy texts in the Bible seem to be secondary to some readers, but they are quite important to getting us connected to the saving work of Jesus Christ. That is why the Holy Spirit put these into the scriptures.
Prayer
Sovereign of the universe, your first covenant of mercy was with every living creature. When your beloved Son came among us, the waters of the river welcomed him, the heavens opened to greet his arrival, the animals of the wilderness drew near as his companions. With all the world’s people, may we who are washed into new life through baptism seek the way of your new creation, the way of justice and care, mercy and peace; through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen
Prayer from Evangelical Lutheran Worship. Copyright © 2020 Augsburg Fortress. All rights reserved.
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