To reflect on the ways ancestors, family (genetic and chosen), and history helped usher Christ (and us) into this world, we present:
Advent 2022 - “The Family of Jesus”
For our second annual Advent writing series, WomanPreach! Inc. has partnered with Rev. Dr. Otis Moss, III, and Auburn Theological Seminary’s Prophetic Preaching Lab (PPL).
Significant Plans in an Insignificant Place
It's weird to compare ourselves to a place, but have you ever felt like Bethlehem? Have you ever felt too small to be noticed? Have you ever felt too insignificant to be put to good use? Have you ever had a supervisor that didn't recognize your hard work? Have you ever had a teacher that didn’t acknowledge you when you were trying your best? Have you ever had a family member that rejected you even after you did all you could to earn their approval? Have you ever felt too young, too old, too different, too big, not smart enough, not good-looking enough, not credentialed enough, not wealthy enough, or just plain NOT ENOUGH…
An Ancestor’s Refrain
In Jesus' genealogy, we witness the ancestors' refrains. Each name in Jesus' lineage is a testament to the refrains spoken into their lives by the Spirit. As I read the litany of fourteen generations in the Gospel of Matthew, I pause at Zerubbabel. "And after the deportation to Babylon: Jechoniah was the father of Salathiel, and Salathiel the father of Zerubbabel, and Zerubbabel the father of Abiud, and Abiud the father of
Eliakim, and Eliakim the father of Azor." (Matthew 1:12-13)
The names of Jesus' lineage draw us into places of remembrance…
The Pieces I Am
Our lives are knitted together in a rich, complicated garment of destiny. John Donne was right when he said, “No man is an island entire of itself; each man is a part of the continent, a part of the main.” None of us are conceived ex nihilo, but we all have a legacy and lineage that bequeathed us.
Considering our histories, it’s tempting to present a highlight reel of our lives…
Go Back and Fetch Who You Are
There is something powerful in knowing where and who you came from, in knowing who you are and where you’re going. Starting the Christian new year with the genealogy of Jesus marks a genesis account of his call. Here, in the text, we have a blatant Sankofa moment…