Come Learn Rest Ministries

God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant that I have
established between me and all flesh that is on the earth.”
~Genesis 9:17

He sent redemption to his people;
he has commanded his covenant forever.
Holy and awesome is his name!
~Psalm 111: 9

For I know that my Redeemer lives,
and at the last he will stand upon the earth.
~Job 19:25

One afternoon recently, just when I felt external chaos threatening to flood my internal life with anxious thoughts and feelings, I looked out my window.   Seeing this rainbow peek through the rain, I remembered that God can redeem even this circumstance. I may not know how. That is where faith takes over. But I can bless God.

Blessed are you, O Lord, who is my Redeemer.

When you and I feel most flooded with anxiety, may we pray by faith believing that God can redeem even this.

Jesus, when he began his ministry, was about thirty years of age,
being the son (as was supposed) of Joseph, the son of Heli,
the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Melchi, the son of Jannai,
the son of Joseph, the son of Mattathias, the son of Amos, the son of Nahum,
the son of Esli, the son of Naggai, the son of Maath, the son of Mattathias,
the son of Semein, the son of Josech, the son of Joda, the son of Joanan,
the son of Rhesa, the son of Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, the son of Neri,
the son of Melchi, the son of Addi, the son of Cosam, the son of Elmadam,
the son of Er, the son of Joshua, the son of Eliezer, the son of Jorim,
the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Simeon, the son of Judah,
the son of Joseph, the son of Jonam, the son of Eliakim, the son of Melea,
the son of Menna, the son of Mattatha, the son of Nathan, the son of David,
the son of Jesse, the son of Obed, the son of Boaz, the son of Sala,
the son of Nahshon, the son of Amminadab, the son of Admin, the son of Arni,
the son of Hezron, the son of Perez, the son of Judah, the son of Jacob,
the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham, the son of Terah, the son of Nahor,
the son of Serug, the son of Reu, the son of Peleg, the son of Eber,
the son of Shelah, the son of Cainan, the son of Arphaxad, the son of Shem,
the son of Noah, the son of Lamech, the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch,
the son of Jared, the son of Mahalaleel, the son of Cainan, the son of Enos,
the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God. ~Luke 1:23-38 (ESV)

So I have to ask. Did you take the time to really read Luke’s introduction of Jesus? Or did you skim like I did? As I read through this genealogy a little slower, I remembered that Jesus once quizzed his disciples about who people said he was.

Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples,
“Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” And they said,
“Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter replied,
“You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus answered him,
“Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you,but my Father who is in heaven. ~Matthew 16:13-17 (ESV)

Peter knew not just the facts of Jesus’ genealogy, he also knew by heart the wonder of what flesh and blood could not reveal to him. “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”  The living God was standing before him.

So it seems, Luke does not want his readers to miss the wonder of  Jesus’ lineage.  Before there was Adam, there was the son of God. Jesus always was and always will be. May you and I know by heart the wonder of Jesus, the Son of God…the living God.

Blessed are You, O Lord, who is the Son of the living God.

In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God.
~John 1:1

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us,
and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father,
full of grace and truth.
~John 1:14

I read my Bible each day to stay close to Jesus. Just the simple act of holding God’s word in my hands while praying through Scripture can overwhelm me with such gratitude that I am compelled to stop and bless the Lord. When I hold passages of Scripture close to my heart, the Word’s grace and truth become more fully realized within me. Moreover, in those moments I receive the gift of a glimpse of God’s glory.

Henri Nouwen describes this as spiritual reading as offers the following insight about “letting the Word become flesh” in our lives.

Spiritual reading is food for our souls. As we slowly let the
words of the Bible or a good spiritual book enter into our minds
and descend into our hearts, we become different people. The Word
gradually becomes flesh in us and transforms our whole beings.
Thus spiritual reading is a continuing incarnation of the divine
Word within us. In and through Jesus, the Christ, God became
flesh long ago. In and through our reading of God’s Word and our
reflection on it, God becomes flesh in us now and makes us into
living Christs for today.*

May the Word transform us each new day through our spiritual reading and reflection.

Blessed are you, O Lord, who is the Word.

*Source: Bread for the Journey , Henri J.M. Nouwen