GOD FIXES BROKEN TOYS

I grew up next to a community park as World War II was ending. In the park was a building where toys were loaned. Mom would take her three small children to the park every week and let us pick out a toy to take home. The following week we would take the toy back and pick out another one. We looked forward to each visit.

Sometimes the toys broke. They were simple wooden toys, some with wheels, some with square blocks, some with chipped paint. The ladies in the "toy" building repaired and fixed and painted the broken toys. Each toy had many, many lives and brought happiness to many, many children. The parents of these children had grown up during the Great Depression and were now seeing their brothers and friends in military uniforms. Life had not been especially kind to them. Having a park with a "toy loan" program was a bright spot in their lives. Fixing broken toys was important.

We break too. Some time ago,  the television news featured the shooting death of a young married man with three children that I knew. His wife and children were broken. A few weeks ago, a young unmarried girl discovered she was pregnant. Her life is broken today. Some parents recently accompanied their adult child to court where she was sentenced to prison leaving the grandchildren without a parent at home. Their lives were broken.

Here is some Good News for you.  God fixes broken people and uses them again. Scripture is full of the Rahabs, Davids, Peters, and Marks. And, you can always look around you in your church and see the "damaged goods" that God has repaired. But, the real problem is when YOU are broken and when YOU need to be fixed. Can you believe that God will fix and repair even you so that you can be used again? Most of the time we are not even aware that God has begun the repair process. It may be a kind word spoken by a friend. Perhaps, a short letter from a stranger. Or, a long hug and a squeezed hand at just the right time. Maybe, it is just sitting quietly before an open Bible at 3:00 a.m. some morning when you cannot sleep.

I broke my ankle many years ago. Broken bones heal and actually become stronger than before the break. God can do that with you too. Brokenness can bring a stronger person out of you. The scar is always there to remind you, but the bone is stronger than before. I doubt that David ever forgot that he murdered Uriah and violated Bathsheba. That scar would always be there to remind him that he was broken. But, the important issue is not whether you were broken, we all are broken; no, the important issue is whether you are fixed and repaired and used again. And David was fixed and repaired and used again. You can be too.

God comes to mend broken people. He says that "the person who comes to Him will not be cast out," and that "a bruised reed he will not break and smoking flax he will not put out." This is the God of the Second Chance, the God who wants to fix you too.

REAL LIFE

Marvin, Dan and Chuck. Every time I turned around these friends of mine were talking to some stranger about Jesus. My friends didn't know each other. At times, each one made my life uncomfortable. Sometimes, I was embarrassed as I was conducting business in a restaurant, and one of them was at a booth or table with an arm wrapped around a total stranger, praying the sinner's prayer in a crowded dining room.

Today, I thank God for the legacy of these men. Each was a "soul winner" and they engaged in "personal witnessing" as a natural, normal part of life - like breathing. In real life, most Christians do not engage in assertive personal witnessing. We have a hard time accepting the mantle of "soul winner." Often, we are ashamed of our obvious failure to proclaim our friendship with Jesus Christ to others and our seeming indifference to the plight of eternally lost men and women.

Something is missing, isn't there? Recently, I drove down a main street in my town with a friend. We noticed people at bus stops, lounging on corners, some in wheelchairs, some walking. We began talking about how few Christians are out walking  the main streets of cities like ours for the express purpose of soul winning and personal witnessing. And, then we talked about all of the churches in the area that will be packed on the coming Sunday with tens of thousands of people "worshiping" God, but no one is out on the streets talking to people about Jesus, about eternity, about death, about hell and a lake of fire.

I've talked about this paradox to a lot of veteran Christians. People who taught Sunday School, sang in the choir, been a deacon or elder, been on boards and sessions and committees and on and on it goes. We seem to be "Church" people who never go outside our churches for the express purpose of soul winning and personal witnessing.

Folks, I think we have a problem! Jesus said, "All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the end of the age." Matt. 28:18-20. And again, "And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all to myself." John 12:32. And he said, "you shall be witnesses to me in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." Acts 1:8. 

Today, it appears that we have withdrawn into our castles (our churches and homes). We have filled our moats with water, and we let the drawbridge down only on Sunday. We advertise for people to come to us, and we label it "reaching out."

My dear, friend - we will never be effective soul winners and personal witnesses for Jesus Christ if we stay isolated in our safe, secure castles and we don't get out where real people live and hurt.

Here are a few examples of people impacting people for you to ponder:

“One summer I worked in the kitchen of a bar and restaurant. I was hurting inside, trying to find a reason for my little 2 ½ year old daughter’s recent death after being hit by a car. I often cried while the dishwasher ran so no one would hear me. During the day I sold drugs, during the night I used drugs, worked in the bar, and drank after work so I could sleep.” SHELLY JENKINS says that a neighbor prayed for her, then some Christians began to visit her and witness to her. One day, she prayed a sinners prayer just to get rid of them. The lady came back later but Shelley pretended not to be at home. When she left the house that night to go to work, Shelley found a little brown New Testament lying by the door, put it in her purse and began the long walk to the bar. It was an emotionally rough night at work that night. She pulled out the New Testament and began to read it - she was raised in a Jewish home and had never read the Bible. All summer she continued to read that book. She started attending a church in the neighborhood. Now 5 years later Shelley is happy so report that “I am a child of the King.”

WARREN MARTIN, was handling an insurance problem for Fred Ramirez in Simi Valley, CA.. He says, “We later talked about spiritual issues. When Fred showed interest, I set aside all insurance paperwork, and showed him the plan of salvation from my Personal Worker Testament. He was wondrously saved, and later attended a Bible class I taught. When his home suffered a 70% casualty loss, my company handled the claim. I gave Fred's wife 2 New Testaments for their teenage children, who later became Christians also. Fred's daughter married and lives in Southern California. His son also married, and attended a church in Simi Valley with his wife.

LYN RICKERT’S father was an alcoholic. He was humiliated by what the bottle was doing to his life, but no resolution he made was strong enough to break the bondage that held him. One day he met a stranger who offered him a little New Testament. Lyn’s father had an 8^th grade education, but did not know how to read so he started sounding out the words and he began reading that testament. One day, out in the country where he lived, he dropped to his knees besides some sagebrush and prayed to God. At that moment a miraculous transformation occurred; he said, “It felt like demons were leaving my body. I was free and clean, and the desire for alcohol completely left me. 

 

GUNFIRE

The first shot sounded like a firecracker. However, when five more explosions came within the next two seconds, I knew we were in the middle of gunfire.

The only problem was that I did not know where the shooter was. Fifteen feet away a group of teenagers scattered and began running in different directions. Where were we? In Beirut, Belfast, the Gaza Strip; I've known people who have come from these war-torn areas and experienced the terror of gunfire. No, we were engaged in our 5th school distribution. We had 26 schools to cover during the spring, and this was number five. We had canceled this school the previous week because of an all-day rainstorm.

During the past month we had made several uneventful Sidewalk School distributions at local junior and senior high schools. We had four brand new men involved in these distributions. There were the usual minor adjustments that come with school distributions, but nothing serious. I finished lunch at the Tastee Freeze across the street from the school as I awaited the arrival of our team. A new man arrived, and we transferred two cases of Hospital Testaments to his car for a later distribution.

Then I pulled my Dodge van onto the street, opened the side door, and began to unload scriptures for the school distribution. I was disappointed that only four men had arrived for this large and friendly school. Suddenly, six shots rang out from an automatic revolver. The shooter was standing at the corner of the Tastee Freeze firing at a group of students 30 feet away and directly across the street.

Two girls ran and jumped into my van landing on the boxes of scriptures. Several boys ran into the park. One unlucky young man was hit by the gunfire and jumped into a nearby car. The police arrived within minutes. The shooting victim was transported to a local hospital. His injuries were not life threatening.

We only gave 200 New Testaments away that day, February 26, 1996, at the High School. The main gates near the shooting were locked and the students diverted to another exit. However, two days later we returned and placed another 700 scriptures for a total placement of 900 scriptures.

We just cannot be casual about the opportunities we have to work for Christ each and every day. Every child should have the opportunity to have his or her own New Testament.

It may be the difference between life and death.

Speaking of which, here are some good news stories:

OTIS TOWNSEND received a New Testament when he was 10 years old. His family did not attend church, but Otis started reading his testament every chance he had. He was invited to a Vacation Bible School and started attending Sunday School and came home one day to tell his mother he was “saved.” His mother and brother went to check out the church and they too were “saved.” Soon Otis’ 4 brothers and his father were “saved.” Otis died when he was 12 years old from stomach cancer, but many thousands of people have been introduced to Jesus  because of his testimony.

SHANNON PARKER had run away from home and dropped out of school. She used alcohol and drugs. In January 1995 Gideons went to Verdugo Hills High School and gave almost 2,000 testaments to the students. One girl gave her testament to Shannon and made her promise to read it. In June 1995 we received a letter from Shannon stating that she was back home and attending school and that she had been sober for 4 months 3 ½ days. She thanked us for restoring her faith in Jesus. In September 1998 a local newspaper reported a fatal automobile accident. Shannon Parker and her six month old baby had perished. I’m glad Shannon received a testament, aren’t you.

MEAGAN wrote from Early, Texas, “Thank you for the Bibles. They are great. I’m almost finished reading mine. I loved the Christmas story. Thanks again.” 

SANDRA LUCIA met Jesus when she was in the 5^th grade in Porto do Rosa, Brazil after reading a Gideon New Testament she received at school. She gave the testament to another friend and he also received Jesus as his Savior.

WHAT IS IN YOUR HAND?

The Bible is full of examples of people who were "ordinary" men and women who accomplished "extraordinary" deeds.

We recently lost three "ordinary" men - but men who accomplished "extraordinary" deeds for the glory of God that will live far beyond their lives.

Most of us are just ordinary men and women, who can accomplish extraordinary things by allowing God to use us.

There is a saying that, "God does not want your ability, just your availability." God will use whatever talents you have to do what needs to be done.

God provides the tools. For Moses, it was just an ordinary rod. For Samson, it was the jaw bone of an ass. For David, it was a slingshot and stones from a riverbed. For the impoverished widow, it was common pots that could hold some oil. For Peter, it was just a fish that swallowed some tax money. Jesus used spit and dirt to make a paste to create vision.

Common things that God used for extraordinary purposes.

But, we must be available.

"I'm too busy," is a statement often heard. But, too busy doing what? Too busy doing God's work? Or too busy doing "busy" work? Too busy interacting with "the saints" that we can't interact with the lost?

Yes, we need some more "ordinary" men and women who see a job that needs to be done, and who without much fanfare or trumpet blowing just go and get the job done. It is amazing what will happen when no one worries about who will get the credit.

How about it ladies and gentlemen! Are you busy using your "extraordinary" talents to accomplish meaningless tasks that will eventually bear the label of "wood, hay and stubble?"

Or, do you want to be available for God to do something really extraordinary with your life, that ultimately weighs in as gold and silver when your days are ended?

REAL PRAYER

There is prayer, and then there is real PRAYER!

Many of my prayers are wimpy, soggy, and spineless. A lot of bed time, meal time, "God bless all of the people in the world" type of prayer. They may sound good, but not necessarily bring a dead man back to life or cause the sun to stand still. Then again, I've heard of Real Prayer. What about Jonah in the belly of the fish? What about Elijah before Ahab's priests of Baal on Mount Carmel? What about blind Saul waiting in Damascus for Ananias? What about Jeremiah sinking in a muddy cistern up to his armpits? What about Peter on the storm tossed Sea of Galilee as he begins to sink?

Yes, there is prayer, and then there is REAL PRAYER! It seems to me that the belly of a fish has got to be one of the all-time horrible places to find yourself praying. It is dark and wet. It must smell to high heaven. Breathing must be almost impossible. The gastric acids, the occasional influx of sea water, the other bits and pieces of oceanic detritus sloshing by your head. I'll tell you, I think Jonah's prayer life went into super high gear about five minutes after he was placed in what I would call "God's pressure cooker." And, Elijah, Saul, Jeremiah and Peter (as well as all saints) periodically find themselves in their own "belly of the fish" circumstances of life. That kind of PRAYER is concentrated desperation focused on the Almighty God and it shakes kingdoms. Look at each of the men mentioned (Jonah, Elijah, Paul, Jeremiah, and Peter); they were chosen by God to accomplish great deeds.

A key ingredient in each of their "belly of the fish" experiences was their subsequent total and complete submission to God. Interestingly, as you follow their lives you will note that they did not retire to a life of ease thereafter. No, they were delivered from serious and immediate danger to do battle for God, and they endured great trial and tribulation after God's deliverance took place. Jonah to Nineveh, Elijah to Ahab, Paul to prison, Jeremiah to captivity, and Peter to martyrdom.

Their PRAYER for deliverance was actually a prayer of submission to the will of God and a prayer of dedication to the service of God, no matter what the outcome! Lets be honest. No one likes to find himself in trouble dark enough to be called a "belly of the fish" experience. But, those experiences "get our attention," and God is suddenly a lot more relevant than he was two days before the event. For instance, your view of God changes when the doctor tells you that your tests are positive for a malignant cancerous tumor. Your vacation to Tarshish will become unimportant as you wrestle with your responsibilities to the people of Nineveh.

Submission to the Will of God is the only logical answer to the prayer of people caught in such circumstances.

Doing the Will of God is the only acceptable response.

GOING FISHING

A friend once asked me to go fishing with him. He always impressed me as being a pretty good fisherman. His fishing tackle always looked new and top notch. He always had great stories about good fishing spots where he could catch the "big" ones. But, he never brought any fish home. He just talked about fishing.

There is a great story found in John 21. Peter says, "I go a fishing." And, six other disciples say, "We also go with you." These guys were commercial fisherman out for a catch - they were not fooling around. They had fished this territory before. They cast their nets from the ship all night long and by morning had not caught a fish, not even a minnow for their labor! Then Jesus appears on the shore and tells them to cast their net on the "right" side of the ship - as opposed to the "left" side (or maybe the "wrong" side). And - they immediately catch 153 large fish.

There are probably many lessons to be gleaned from this passage - but, as "fishers of men" we must not rely on our own skills and smarts to catch fish. We must hear what Jesus has to say to us, and then we must do what he tells us to do. The point is that the Lord Jesus knows where the fish are. The trick is to be directed by Him. The story found in John, chapter 21 describes how to find God's fish (and His direction): Look, Listen and Obey!

Let me ask you a few questions (no peeking in the Bible). First, name six of the twelve scouts sent out by Moses. Second, name 3 of Goliath's gigantic brothers. Third, name Jacob's children by the servant of Leah and the servant of Rachel. Now, name the Brooklyn Dodger pitcher who surrendered the game winning World Series home run to the Giants Bobby Thompson in 1951.

So, what's the point! Only that you remember the winners, not the second place or tenth place or last place finishers. You remember Joshua and Caleb because they were the men of faith. You remember David the King, but not Goliath's deceased kinfolk. And Ralph Branca, Al Downing, Johnny Pesky, and Billy Buckner are often remembered for important games they lost, rather than for their great careers.

I would like to make a pitch for you to be a winner! A home run hitter instead of a losing pitcher. I know the secret - and I am willing to share it with you! The problem is, you know the secret too. It is found in John, chapter 21 and I call it the "Look, Listen and Obey" principle. I am reminded of the story of the old immigrant whose family booked him passage on a ship crossing the Atlantic to New York City at the turn of the century. He packed his suitcase with cheese and bread to sustain him during the long journey. About two thirds of the way across the Atlantic Ocean, a ship's steward found him looking into the dining room area and asked him why he did not go in and eat with the other passengers. It was only then that the old man discovered that his ticket price included all meals served aboard ship.

Well, the secret of "winning" is found in John 21. In summary, it is "hear what the Master has to say to you, and then go do what He tells you to do." Look, listen and obey! Life is far too short for us to stand outside the dining room of God's bountiful provision, when the price has been paid, the ticket is in our hand, and the Captain invites us in to sit at his table. Most of the time we are like the old hungry immigrant standing on the outside, looking in at the bounty spread on the tables.

When I was a young boy, the theaters were packed for a short time with 3-D movies. But, after my conversion to Jesus Christ in 1959 - I found a better set of 3-D glasses to look through.

Here are my "3-D's"

Desperate to hear him

Determined to follow him

Delighted to belong to him

Let me encourage you to stop and smell the roses today. Instead of telling God what you intend to do - and then asking him to bless your activities - why not ask him to tell you what he wants you to do today. Maybe he just wants you to sit down, sit still, and think about him for a while. If it is a choice between casting your nets all night long on the wrong side of the boat, and of hearing the voice of Jesus tell us what we should be doing with our lives - let's listen to the Lord's call, and do what he tells us to do. Let's "Look, Listen, and Obey!"

HANGING BY A THREAD

Soon, Christmas season will be here. And that means children and adults around the world will be turning to the first Chapters of Matthew and Luke and will stumble all over the names of who begat who. And the audience might wonder, "Why do they bother listing everyone, it is as bad as reading a telephone book out loud?"

Genealogies, what a bore, or are they?

The books of Genesis, Numbers, I Chronicles, Ezra, Matthew and Luke all contain lists of families. Most of us don't spend much time in those chapters (although I suspect the list of names in the Lamb's Book Of Life described by John in the Book of Revelation will capture our attention).

The ancestry of Jesus of Nazareth as set forth in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke has interested me for a long time. "Hanging by a thread" is a phrase that I use to describe the tenuous descent from generation to generation until the "fullness of time" occurs in a Bethlehem stable. The phrase gets its genesis from the story of Rahab who hung a scarlet cord from the town wall of Jericho to gain safety for her family.

I want to trace what, from a human perspective, seems to be a fragile thin line of hope and salvation that God preserved and protected through the millennia, from Adams sin to the death of Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ of God. And, as you track the miraculous deliverance of God's chosen lineage throughout history, you give evidence again to the grand redemptive program of God.

What proves the existence of God? Philosophers, theologians and scientists have concocted many arguments over the centuries to "prove" the existence of God. Most of the arguments remind me of a salesman talking to a farmer who has never seen the Pacific Ocean. The way to convince him of the ocean's existence, is to take the farmer to the ocean and let him jump in.

Well, one of the best proofs for the existence of God is to track the promises made to Abraham regarding the nation, and the rulers of that nation, that would come forth from his loins, and to see what has happened to the people called Israel throughout the centuries. Hundreds and hundreds of fulfilled promises and prophecies make the nation Israel as clear a trumpet of God's existence as any esoteric philosophic argument.

Within the history of Abraham's descendants is an equally compelling testimony of God's preservation and protection of the blood-line from which the Lord Jesus Christ will come. And that is the tale I want to describe now.

Matthew's list found in chapter 1 is as follows: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Judah, Perez (from Tamar), Hezron, Ram, Amminadab, Nahshon, Salmon, Boaz, Obed (from Ruth), Jesse, David, Solomon (from Bathsheba), Rehoboam, Abijah, Asa, Jehoshaphat, Jehoram, Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, Hezekiah, Manasseh, Amon, Josiah, Jeconiah, Shealtiel, Zerubbabel, Abiud, Eliakim, Azor, Zadok, Akim, Eliud, Eleazar, Matthan, Jacob, Joseph, Jesus.

Luke's list found in chapter 3 (inverted starting with Abraham) is as follows: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Judah, Perez (from Tamar), Hezron, Ram, Amminadab, Nahshon, Salmon, Boaz, Obed (from Ruth), Jesse, David, Nathan, Mattatha, Menna, Melea, Eliakim, Jonam, Joseph, Judah, Simeon, Levi, Matthat, Jorim, Eliezer, Joshua, Er, Elmadam, Cosam, Addi, Melki, Neri, Shealtiel, Zerubbabel, Rhesa, Joanan, Joda, Josech, Semein, Mattathias, Maath, Naggai, Esli, Nahum, Amos, Mattathias, Joseph, Jannai, Melki, Levi, Matthat, Heli, Joseph, Jesus.

Both lists are almost identical from Abraham to David, but diverge thereafter. Many evangelical commentators assume that Matthew follows the kingly line (perhaps, Joseph's lineage) while Luke follows a priestly line (perhaps, Mary's lineage). I want to focus on the people in Matthew's list because their lives and times are detailed throughout most of the books of the Old Testament.

From Abraham to Jesus encompasses about 1700 years of time. During this period of time there were countless wars, famines, invasions, relocations and disasters that impacted this steadily growing people that were prophesied to become as numerous as the stars of the heavens.

Consider a few of the following historical events that impacted these people, events that cut across the lives of the ancestors of Jesus of Nazareth: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Judah were nomadic herdsmen who were often threatened by famine and relocation in land ruled by other regional powers, most notably Egypt. Perez was born of Judah's incestuous relationship with Tamar, his daughter-in-law. Hezron, Ram, Amminadab, Nahshon, and Salmon lived during the invasion of Canaan by Joshua and the Judges of Israel. The Philistines, Midianites, and all of the other "ites" were a constant threat to the life and home of Abraham's seed.

Boaz fathered Obed from Ruth of Moab. It was only Naomi's travels to the land of Moab to avoid a famine in Israel that caused Ruth to come to Bethlehem to live. Jesse, the father of King David, brought forth all of his other sons to "audition" for Samuel.

David the King was earmarked for death by Goliath his enemy, by Saul his King, by Absalom his son, and by others. As king, he murdered Uriah, the husband of Bathsheba, after he impregnated her. Their second son, Solomon, became king and acquired hundreds of wives and concubines, many as part of peace treaties and alliances. He started the country on a path of idolatry that would bear terrible consequences during the following 400 years.

From Rehoboam the country was torn into two parts, Israel and Judah. Then begins a list of Kings such as Abijah, Asa, Jehoshaphat, Jehoram, Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, Hezekiah, Manasseh, Amon, Josiah, Jeconiah, Shealtiel, and Zerubbabel.

Hezekiah was stricken with a sickness unto death, but he prayed and was granted 15 additional years of life - during which time he sired Manasseh, arguably the most wicked king ever to reign in Judah. Josiah, his son, was killed in battle against the Egyptians led by Pharaoh Neco who removed Josiah's son (Jehoahaz) as king and replaced him with another son, Eliakim, whose name was changed by Pharoah Neco to Jehoiakim.

Finally, in 586 B.C., after many forays into Israel and Judah, the Babylonian king, Nebuchadnezzar, took some 10,000 of the leading populace of Judah and deported them to Babylon where they were to remain as captives for 70 years.

At the end of the 70 years (about 450 B.C.), Nehemiah led over 40,000 people back into Judah to restore Jerusalem and the temple, among whom were 468 male descendants of the tribe of Judah - the kingly line from which Messiah was to come. Interestingly, the descendants of the priestly tribe of Levi are listed at Nehemiah 12, and it is from these ancestors that Luke may have traced Mary's lineage (remember that Zacharias and Elizabeth, parents of John the Baptist and related to Mary, were descended from Aaron).

After the return of the exiled Jews from Babylon, the country was ruled through administrators appointed by their Babylonian, Persian, Greek and Roman conquerors. There were to be no more "Kings of Israel" after the Babylonian captivity until the birth of the babe in Bethlehem.

The little known descendants of Abraham who lived from the Babylonian captivity to the time of Julius Caesar, i.e., Abiud, Eliakim, Azor, Zadok, Akim, Eliud, Eleazar, Matthan, Jacob, and Joseph, lived through the years of the Babylonian captivity, the return of Nehemiah and Ezra to Judah, the invasion of Alexander the Great, the Maccabean revolts, and the Roman occupation of Palestine. They were unknown compared to King David and King Solomon, but each carried the birthright to be King, and it was from this lineage that the future King of Israel of Isaiah 9:6, and the Messiah of Isaiah 52:12-53:6 was to come.

Well, that is an awful lot of detail to plow through, but, after all, it was 1700 years of living. The thought that keeps coming back to me is this: That before Abraham was, the "I am" set in motion a redemptive plan that would span the centuries and culminate in the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth, born King of the Jews. This redemptive plan included the passing on of the blessing, birthright, and inheritance of the royal and priestly lineage through human agencies. Look carefully at the men (and some women) named above. Note how close some came to being killed (David). Think how easily some might have been lost in the Babylonian captivity, or chosen not to have returned.

What if Abraham's ploy to have Sarah taken into the Pharaoh's harem had worked? What if Joseph had died in prison, or not been sold as a slave? What if Ruth had stayed in Moab with Orpah?

You see, the miracle of the genealogy of Matthew and Luke is the mathematically astounding probability that God's promise to Abraham (Genesis 12) could be fulfilled in the birth of Jesus of Nazareth given the vagaries of human life during the 1700 years that intervened between them. All sorts of human failings including death, illness, and war could have intervened to break the chain of ancestry. And who can doubt that the machinations of Satan were not at work during those 1700 years in various attempts to defeat the plan? One little virus or bacteria could have been fatal to Boaz or David or Mary. Through it all, God preserved his promise to Abraham.

The God who created the universe, the God who makes something from nothing, and then maintains that creation, is all knowing, all powerful, and all present (omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent for our theological friends). The eternal beauty of God's intervention in our lives is this: that the God who created galaxies from nothing and sent them spinning in prescribed and fixed orbits; the God who created the intricacies and beauty of our world and the countless life-forms that dwell herein; the God who could not be known by his creation, chose to involve himself in the affairs of men. Even to the extent of identifying himself with Abraham's progeny for 1700 years, ensuring that "when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law . . ." (Galatians 4:4).

We will always stumble at trying to understand what God is up to. We want Jesus to ride into Jerusalem as a conquering king on a white horse with military pomp, but he comes on a donkey with only poor people waving palms. We want Jesus to subdue nations, but he chooses to die on a cross. We want God to do what we want him to do, but he always does what he chooses to do. God's plan is for the eternal ages. He knows no 24-hour day or 365-day year. His comings and goings are not based upon a Gregorian calendar or a Chinese New year, not even the 70 or 80 year annual solar cycle of Neptune or Pluto around our sun counts. Nothing and no one, absolutely nothing and absolutely no one, dictates to God what His calendar of events will be. God's plan and program transcend our lifecycles as we know them.

So, pay attention to those genealogical masterpieces. They are not there to bore you, but to show God's hand in the history of our world, and to demonstrate His redemptive plan to man.