April 30, 2020

Daily Lectionary Readings for Year A

My brother Dale is a historian with a Ph.D. from Stanford. He loves to dig for details of a story. My brother taught me how amazing libraries could be when you learn how to research. Microfilm and microfiche were the high tech tools in the time before computers. Research could be like a scavenger hunt, with one clue leading to another and a minor piece of evidence opening the door to a major discovery. With this drive and ability, my brother began looking into our family history. Where did we come from? How did we get here? What were some of the struggles that made us who we are today? It can be like peeling an onion. There can be almost endless layers to the story. There can be embarrassing chapters that some would wish never to be remembered. But in the end, it's our story, and it matters. Those who came before us have a role in shaping who we are today. Dale found that part of our family story traces back to Ireland. From there, both sides of my family lived in Canada; then they moved as an extended clan into the thumb of Michigan. They all ended up in the same neighborhood of Hazel Park, where my mom and dad met. Along the way, there was good and bad luck, strong family bonds, and perseverance.

Part of the story of God's people was being forced into slavery in Egypt. Then Moses, who had been adopted into pharaoh's family as a baby in a basket on the Nile, came to set God's people free. Characters in the story let God down, like Aaron's sons Nadab and Abihu. Others were in the right place at the right time like Zipporah and helped provide a promising future. The telling and retelling of the story of God's family inspires and cautions. Knowing the family story is a reminder of where the family has come from, how they got to where they are, and how they overcame struggles along the way. It is the story of God actively guiding God's chosen people generation after generation.

What is your family story? What does it teach you about who you are? What does your story say about who God is?

Peace,
Dean