Reflection for December 17
Janet Leombruni, I Go to Nature
When I agreed to contribute to the Advent booklet, I didn’t realize all the “good” readings were long since taken. So, I was left with the ever-exciting genealogy of Jesus Christ. I must admit, anytime I read the Bible, I skip over genealogies. But what a gift this turned out to be.
Studying this reading, I was first struck by God’s patience. As Matthew’s text indicates, there were 42 generations between Abraham and Jesus. What an incredibly long span of time. God had a grand plan for salvation and I’m sure God could have accomplished this much more quickly. But every step in that plan must have served an important purpose. If God is that patient with His plans, then perhaps we need to be more patient in our lives when things aren’t working out the way we think they should or unfolding as quickly as we’d like. We need to remember that, just as with God’s plan for salvation, every step of God’s plan for our lives must have an important purpose, even if we don’t recognize it in the moment.
I was also struck by some of the surprising individuals included in the genealogy. This thought was inspired during a Bible study I attended recently that focused on Joshua but included this very same genealogy (coincidence?). Rahab, a Canaanite woman and a prostitute, is an unlikely hero when, at great risk to her life, she hides Joshua’s two scouts as the Israelites prepare to enter The Promised Land. We’re told later in Hebrews she was led by faith. Then there’s Ruth, a Moabitess from a pagan nation. Ruth returns to the land of Judah with her mother-in-law Naomi, also at great risk due to her faith in the God of Israel. And, of course, there’s Mary. I suspect none of these women felt worthy to be used by God in such an important way. Yet, by their faithfulness, they become unlikely players in the genealogy of Christ.
So, in this Advent “season of waiting,” may we all be patient, faithful, and mindful of the ways we too can be unlikely servants of God.
Andy Niedzielski