Today's Readings: Genesis 49:1–10; Psalm 72; Matthew 1:1–17
I’m certain some of you enjoy a good list. You may enjoy the productive feeling that comes with a good task list, and the better feeling that comes with checking the last item complete. You may enjoy statistics like baseball box scores or—in this strange year—daily COVID-19 test numbers. While in Washington, D.C. during college, I remember being fascinated with the long lists of names on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. It was humbling to scan through all the names of real people that had real families who miss them. A few years ago I read in stunned silence many horrifying lists as I walked through the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial in Poland, names and statistics that still make your stomach sink nearly eighty years later. Lists can be fascinating.
I find it equally fascinating how tempting it is to skim or skip altogether some of the lists in the Bible. The Book of Numbers contains exactly that—population information and stuff about tribal allotments in Canaan. Ever hurried your way through (or around) all those pages during your chronological reading plan? Paul likes to end his letters with some housekeeping items specific to each church. By the time you get to Romans 16, it can be pretty tempting to just hop over it and get to 1 Corinthians 1 (on Romans 16, Google “When the Roll is Called Down Here” by Fred Craddock, then send me a thank you note). And here we are in the third week of Advent with an emphasis on joy, yet our daily readings are two lists of names and a psalm about how a king ought to govern. Craddock’s sermon on Romans 16 opens in this way:
“I hope you will not feel guilty if your heart was not all aflutter during the reading of the text. It’s not very interesting. It’s a list of strange names.”
It can certainly feel that way. Now, we of course know that Jacobs' various blessings on his children end up describing Israel’s path through history (pay special attention to Judah!) and we know that Jesus’ genealogy is important because it shows God’s faithfulness through many generations to bring about his Messiah. But let’s be honest: such lists don’t often make your heart “all aflutter.”
However, the mundane doesn’t preclude the joy we’re talking about this week. The Lord cares for and ministers to his treasured people through the mundane all the time. Judah wasn’t the firstborn son to Jacob, but he would establish the royal line that led to the Savior of the world. Tamar’s story is a wild one, but few are familiar with Perez, Hezron, Aram, Amminadab, Nahshon, or Salmon. Yet, those very real people brought the line of Abraham down to Boaz and into the line of David. Sure, some of the names that come after David may seem somewhat familiar, but few know of the post-exilic line of names that leads us to Joseph, Mary, and Jesus.
But, because it gets to Jesus, this mundane list brings us great joy. The Messiah and his Kingdom exploded into the world at the end of this list. If you and I hold tight to our confession about who Jesus truly is, this little list ought to add to our joy this season. Maybe one of the lessons we need to learn as we prepare for Christmas is to take time to pause and discover the joy God has for us in the mundane, boring parts of our lives. When we do, we can see the hand of God working in fresh ways. As Craddock closes his sermon:
“Keep the list. Keep the list. Because to you, it’s not a list.”
