Stories that span generations

𝗣𝘀𝗮𝗹𝗺 𝟳𝟭:𝟭𝟴 𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗜 𝗮𝗺 𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗴𝗿𝗮𝘆, 𝗱𝗼 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗺𝗲, 𝗺𝘆 𝗚𝗼𝗱, 𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗜 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗺𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘆 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲.

The old are discarded. That is nothing new. They are disregarded. Though they tell stories of their adventures, it’s presumed that they are either delusional or exaggerating. And sometimes they ARE. Their view of the world is assumed to be as the world was, not as it is. And sometimes their perspective IS dated like that.

It is easy, then, for an old person to think God has also cast him/her aside as yesterday’s news and an artifact only of how things were. That person can grow to expect only impoverishment of spirit and death. The slow descent into bodily decline can be seen to mirror one in the spirit. “Not so!” says the psalmist.

The lessons learned and experiences had are of vital importance to the next generation, without exception. The verse says nothing about the reception the declaration of God’s power will be received by those who are younger – and the old person will do well to consider how s/he received the same testimony. The acts of God among the lives of humans is BEST passed on by eyewitnesses, as it is an ongoing narrative for those of any age who believe.

𝘚𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘺𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴:

Stories may be dismissed as hyperbole and myth. If you’re old and have seen, tell them anyway. The speaker may be maligned and humiliated due to ageism and prejudice. God’s stories find their way across the generations nonetheless.

Nor is the immediate response of the younger listeners a gauge as to net effect of the testimony of the old. It never was. Nor is the complete embracing of all that is said, for it is only God’s Word that doesn’t return void, not the word of humans. As the trustworthy statement goes – “God has no grandchildren”. Faith is not passed on via DNA. God will touch whom he will; be in prayer that he amplifies the word of your testimony, O veteran of spiritual warfare. God has not abandoned you, don’t you abandon his work in you. 

Cornerstones and fruit

Matthew 21:42-43 Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: “‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes’? Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruits.”

Jesus is the cornerstone – the block of solid rock that the entire building is built upon.  The cornerstone not only bears the weight of the entire structure, its position and shape determine the building’s design.  There is no building without it.

Jesus was pointing to himself, saying that his life and teaching were foundational for the building of faith and that the leadership of Israel, in rejecting him, was turning down their own invitation to salvation and new life.  God had brought the cornerstone to them, but they rejected it for all the wrong reasons.  Jesus’ announcement that the kingdom of God would go to those producing its fruits was judgment on the hypocritical practices of the teachers of the Law and Pharisees.  They were NOT producing its fruits.

What are the fruits of the Kingdom, then?  Are these?

Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

… or is there no such list but rather observable behavior in word and deed that expresses God’s Kingdom?  Indeed, the Galatians list has output – supernatural action that marks the presence of Jesus.  This is the house God builds upon His chosen cornerstone.  We, the followers of Christ, are the building he constructs.

Let me listen, then, to His voice and act according to His prompting.  For He is good and his steadfast love endures forever.

Humble genealogies

𝗠𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘄 𝟭:𝟯,𝟱,𝟳,𝟭𝟲 𝗝𝘂𝗱𝗮𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗲𝘇 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗭𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗵, 𝘄𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗧𝗮𝗺𝗮𝗿

..𝗦𝗮𝗹𝗺𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗕𝗼𝗮𝘇, 𝘄𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗥𝗮𝗵𝗮𝗯, 𝗕𝗼𝗮𝘇 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗢𝗯𝗲𝗱, 𝘄𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗥𝘂𝘁𝗵

.. 𝗗𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗱 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗦𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗺𝗼𝗻, 𝘄𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗵𝗮𝗱 𝗯𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗨𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗵’𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝗳𝗲

.. 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗝𝗮𝗰𝗼𝗯 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗝𝗼𝘀𝗲𝗽𝗵, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝘂𝘀𝗯𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝘆, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗝𝗲𝘀𝘂𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗮𝗵.

Genealogies demystify the past. Some cling to them in pride, sure that they establish a purebred human line. Others make discoveries that bring the family down to earth, showing the base results of the human condition.

The lineage of Jesus Christ featured moral compromise like that of many others. There was no purebred claim to be established. . Even Mary, the mother of the Lord, would endure suspicion of adultery because of the way Jesus was conceived. There is a thread of grace and mercy. The humble and shamed produced offspring that would be part of a royal line, no matter what had happened along the way.

No doubt this list would have invited scorn from some holding to a proud heritage – and there is nothing wrong with righteousness in a family’s past. But there is everything wrong with a claim of superiority based upon that. For God’s Son came from a line of sinners, to save an exponentially larger line of sinners.

There is therefore no disqualification or special status given to anyone. It’s grace or nothing that saves and establishes righteousness, one generation at a time. God has no grandchildren.

Breaking commandments

Scripture:

Matthew 15:3 He answered them, “And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition?

Observation:

The Pharisees, in critical fashion, had asked Jesus why his disciples did not obey the traditions of “the elders” in failing to wash their hands before eating.  He answered that question with one of his own.  The commandment they were breaking was not of “the elders” but of God.  It was one of the 10 Commandments, to honor one’s father and mother, specifically by caring for them, supporting them in their old age.  They allowed, even encouraged children to give monies that could have helped their parents to the temple, thereby skirting the commandment.  Jesus’ point is that they had trumped the firm instruction of eternal God in favor of their own self-profiting traditions, to the harm of the very people they claimed to serve.

Application:

It would be an imbalanced overreaction to say all traditions of humans are therefore at odds with God’s heart and commandments.  Indeed, tradition can serve to help people work out God’s will on earth.  But there are those institutional mandates that, however well-intended, devolve into harsh burdens and/or loopholes to living for Christ.  Sometimes they are mere sayings that catch on – “God helps those who help themselves” that can blunt generosity or love itself.  Other times they take the form of liturgy – how a worship service must be executed.  Still other times they fester into gross error, like entire systems of penance and indulgence for sin when Jesus died on the cross for our forgiveness and sin’s eradication.  When these traditions become necessarily spoken and practiced under higher authority than God’s word, human authority is exalted.  God’s commandments, given in love and for the protection and welfare of people, are overridden by those of human construction, given with pragmatic sense for the welfare of the institution.  Only God can command and not be a tyrant; that’s not a statement of a rebel but one of a freed person.

It’s so easy that I would establish my own traditions, even passing them down to my children and across to my brothers ans sisters in faith.  I can coin a phrase as well as the next person.  But it better align with God’s word if it is to avoid establishing my reign and exaltation.  Let me remain humble in all I say and write and even in my practices, however beneficial and ordered they are for me personally.

Prayer:

Father, I give up to you my discernment and treatment of traditions.  May you reign supreme, and your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.  In Jesus’ name amen.