We couldn’t be more different and yet we’re all just really the same. You, me, Jesus and the utensil I ate my Life out of this morning.
Luke 3; 21-23 21 When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as he was praying, heaven was opened 22 and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.” 23 Now Jesus himself was about thirty years old when he began his ministry. He was the son, so it was thought, of Joseph, the son of Heli.
I was baptized in our kitchen from a cereal bowl. It had tap water in it. I don’t recall exactly how old I was but I was at least four. I know this because I know what house we were in and we moved there when I was four. I’m pretty sure that my sister was baptized at the same time but I don’t remember praying. I know there were no voices from heaven and no dove-like spirit. In fact I don’t really recall anyone saying much of anything. However, there is one really, really important thing that Jesus and I share in this experience. We’re both the son of God.
How do I know this? Well, the rest of this scripture that goes on through verse 38 traces Jesus’s lineage all the way back to Adam who was the Son of God (seeing as how God made him from dust and all). There are a lot of names to be sure, most I don’t recognize but some like Noah; that I do. Realizing that someone at some time had to remember all those people and that lineage really blows me away (I can’t remember what I had for lunch yesterday) and I’m really grateful. Not so much for the lunch, but for the remembering how we’re all tied together.
The fact that Jesus is traceable all the way back to God, by flesh and bone, makes him all the more real to me. It also gives me a sense of belonging and hope that somewhere, somehow, thousands of years ago events were put into motion that not only brought Jesus here but brought me here also. Now Jesus was conceived not by man but by immaculate conception. I get that, but he still needed a father here on earth. You know, someone to watch out for him and teach him things, like how to use a hand planer.
It was still Joseph who decided to keep his promise to Mary and it was still Mary who brought Jesus into this world. The people of Jesus’s day thought they knew his father, Joseph but Joseph knew better and so did Mary. They chose to make him a part of their lineage though, a part of their family tree. He was a part of events that brought us salvation from our sins just as other events occur to bring us to spots where we need to be. How or if we step into those gaps remains to be seen. In the end it’s just good to know we’re all family. I’m good with that, cereal bowls or not.
Think about the sequence of events that have brought you here to this point today. How have those worked out to place you right where you need to be right now? If you’re willing, I’d be interested to hear your story below.
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