WEEK ONE | DAY SIX | MATTHEW 1:1-17
“True man, yet very God”—from Jesse’s line blooms the promised Savior. In much of the world, genealogies are an important part of one’s identity. And while many of us might yawn through the genealogies in the Bible, for some cultures they serve as the most convincing evidence that Jesus is who He claimed to be.
LO, HOW A ROSE E’ER BLOOMING FROM TENDER STEM HATH SPRUNG,
OF JESSE’S LINEAGE COMING, AS MEN OF OLD HAVE SUNG.
IT CAME A FLOWER BRIGHT, AMID THE COLD OF WINTER …
ISAIAH ‘TWAS FORETOLD IT, THE ROSE I HAVE IN MIND;
WITH MARY WE BEHOLD IT, THE VIRGIN MOTHER KIND.
TO SHOW GOD’S LOVE ARIGHT, SHE BORE TO MEN A SAVIOR …
THIS FLOWER, WHOSE FRAGRANCE TENDER WITH SWEETNESS FILLS THE AIR,
DISPELS WITH GLORIOUS SPLENDOR THE DARKNESS EVERYWHERE.
TRUE MAN, YET VERY GOD, FROM SIN AND DEATH HE SAVES US
AND LIGHTENS EVERY LOAD.
A team of South Asian church planters uses hand-drawn “family trees” to record the birth and expansion of congregations in their network. Each family tree shows the first church planted and the worshiping communities that grow from it—one church seeds more churches; those churches blossom and flourish and collectively seed even more churches. Networks of churches expand so quickly that church planters must soon tape more paper to edges of the “family tree” to record the growth. What a beautiful reminder that, through Christ, we are part of God’s spiritual lineage!
Pray for church planters in South Asia and around the world as they faithfully share the Good News of Jesus. Reflect on—and consider even drawing—your own spiritual “family tree,” giving thanks to God for each person you add to it.
Comments are closed.