For I've grown a little leaner

grown a little colder

A sermon on Jesus' genealogy:

One of the movies Amanda and I have to watch every Christmas is, Christmas Vacation. You know the one, Clark Griswold, uncle Eddie, the house with all the Christmas lights. 

Yes, we have to watch this movie because it’s a Christmas one, and because it’s funny. But I’ve come to realize what’s really so great about this movie is how well it gets, the thing that’s the best part of the holidays is also what’s the worst about them; family.

Uncle Eddie’s unexpected visit. The in-laws little remarks. The kids’ constant complaining. And the stress Clark put on himself trying to make everyone happy! The movie captures it all so brilliantly!

To be able to laugh about it, has a way of making it more bearable. And that’s why we love to watch Christmas Vacation.

Because it is true, isn’t it? For as wonderful as family can be; it’s also what makes the holidays such a headache. I know I’m not the only one!

Sure, I could air my family’s dirty laundry. And while our own unique brand of dysfunction is specific to us - you all have your own, too. Don’t you?

We all have branches that are ready to break in our family-trees. 

And today, Jesus’ genealogy shows us, it’s no different for him, either!

Jesus’ family tree begins with two of the greats; David and Abraham. 

Right after that, it jumps into a bunch of of folks with unpronounceable names, we’re not all that familiar with; Zerah, Aminadab, Nashon.

Behind each one of these names, though, is a life and a family. 

A life and a family that’s not all that different from our own…

That’s hard for us to appreciate, though. Isn’t it? 

Not just because we’re unfamiliar with these folks. But because when we read this list of names, knowing full-well that they’re a part of Jesus’ family-tree, it’s easy for us to think they’re the picture of perfection.

I know we do this, because we do it all the time. 

We see the strains in our family, and think we’re the only ones. 

That’s why we all try and keep our family’s dysfunction under wraps! We’re afraid the reason our family doesn’t act like the ones in the movies, is because there’s something wrong with us. 

*And that may be true, but believe me, we’re NOT the only ones!

When the dysfunction in our family starts to show we look at other families, wishing we could be more like them. 

But the truth is, every family has their sore spots. Their frictions. Their fractions.

To prove this, I could have all of us who have some tension in our family raise our hand, and we all would. I could appeal to the way Christmas Vacation resonates with all of us. Or, we could just take a look at Jesus’ genealogy. 

Beginning with David and Abraham. Sure, they have their moments of faithfulness, but their lives are by no means the pictures of perfection. 

The child of Abraham, who Jesus’ lineage is traced through is Isaac. Although we know there’s another child by Abraham; Ishmael. 

Abraham and Sarah, after growing tired of waiting for God to keep the promise of descendants, took matters into their own hands. Conceiving a child, Ishmael, by a surrogate. 

Of course, their gambit fails to hurry God’s plan. And it only serves to make their family more dysfunctional. It gets so bad Hagar and Ishmael flee, to try and make a go of it on their own…

Or David. Sure, he wrote the psalms and praised the Lord with abandon. But his child Jesus’ genealogy is traced through, is Solomon. Solomon who was conceived by the wife of, not David, but Uriah. 

We all remember how David, without any thought of the family he was destroying, took Bathsheba. And when she became pregnant, instead of fessing up, had her husband killed!

Not exactly the pictures of perfection we imagine!

And it’s no different with the others listed in Jesus’ family tree! 

There’s Tamar who posed as a prostitute. 

Her father-in-law, Judah, who impregnated her. When he’s found out, he has to confess she’s more righteous than himself. 

*Apparently the bar of righteousness isn’t set that high in Jesus’ family-tree…

There’s Jacob who tricks his older brothers, Esau, out of his birthright, this genealogy. 

David’s son, Solomon; who introduced worshipping foreign gods into the temple. 

Manasseh, who is listed among the worst, most unrighteous kings in Israel’s history. 

And on, and on. 

Yes, there are some bright spots in this family-history, like Ruth and Boaz. But even their story begins in less than ideal circumstances. Refugees, fleeing a famine.

It turns out Jesus’ family is like the rest of ours; less than perfect!

Full of brothers who can’t sit at the same table together. Aunts you only whisper about. Uncles you hope don’t say too much this year.

Jesus’ family is full of dysfunction. Which is exactly the way he likes it! 

As he says, he has come not for the righteous, but sinners. 

Jesus is perfectly at home in a dysfunctional home! 

So if that’s the kind of home you come from, and we all do; then you’re the kind of kin Jesus calls his own!

Isn’t that, finally, why family stresses us out so badly? Why we try and keep the less than perfect parts of our family-history under wraps?

Because we think it’s our job to get our families picture-perfect. 

And failing that, we figure it’s our fault uncle Ray always manages to say the one thing that’s going to get the rest of the family at each other’s throats!

But thanks be to God, Jesus comes to undo all that!

Not by making us all Stepford families, but by showing up in the middle of our broken ones!

For as unusual as Jesus’ family history is, and it is; there’s an especially odd detail. Usually, when you document a persons ancestry, you begin with whoever you can start with, and work you way down until you get to the person listed. 

But Jesus’ genealogy doesn’t simply lead down to him—it starts with him, too! 

Jesus is listed at the beginning AND ending of the genealogy!

Which is the point!

Jesus comes to make a new family; in his image! One that he’s the beginning, and end of! A family he covers with himself!

That’s why Jesus’ genealogy isn’t whitewashed! Because Jesus didn’t come for perfect people, from perfect families. He comes for the like of us! Us, and our imperfect families, to make us a part of the new family he comes to create!

Rather than hiding the embarrassing parts, Jesus claims them!

And he claims you, too. As a part of his family.

His family that isn’t held together by our efforts, but Jesus’ redeeming!

His family that doesn’t hide its scars, but bears them as a mark of Jesus’ power! 

His family that doesn’t try and prove its own worthiness, but without any merit, welcomes The One who makes his home with us! 

His family that isn’t bound by biology, but a redeemer!

And therein lies your hope! Not just this Christmas, but every other one! And all your family gatherings, too!

What makes the holidays a blessing, is also their boon; family. 

What a relief it is to know then, that Jesus can handle our familys dysfunction better than we can! That he makes his home, in the kind of homes we hail from! 

This Christmas was a blessing, and in more ways than you know. 

Yes, there are the memories you’ll cherish forever. And they’re a blessing to be sure.

But, there are also other memories. Memories you can’t wait to forget. 

Jesus, in all his goodness, has managed to do something with those less than ideal moments. Something we never could on our own. He has turned them into the places we wait for him. Places we learn to confess, we’ve failed in one of the most basic projects of humanity; family. 

But, when we see ourselves and our families the way they are, we are most ready to receive all that Jesus comes to give! We know how to hope Christmas will be perfect, not because of anything we’ve done, but because of The One who remakes us, and all humanity, in his image! 

And that’s the kind of people, the kind of families, Jesus can’t stay away from!

This promise has a way of creating a little patience. Doesn’t it? It can also give you hope, too. And even empathy. 

Because the truth is, we bear more than a little responsibility for the dysfunction in our families. Don’t we? 

We’re no different than the rest of the folks in our family. We’re just as much to blame as they are! We’re just as much of a mess as they are!

Which just means, we’re no different than the rest folks listed in Jesus’ genealogy! The people Jesus claims as a part of his family!

Thanks be to God, it is to the likes of you and me, and our dysfunctional families too, that Jesus comes to, calls, and makes his home with!