I’ve read a lot of articles and heard a lot of reports in the past few weeks about the holiday blues.  This time of year is a tough time for many.  In that light, I want to point us this morning to a blues song.

A band called Casting Crowns sings a tune called “Every Man.”  The first part of the song is a lament.  Casting Crowns moans about how every man and every woman experiences hopelessness in life.  It doesn’t matter our race, our gender, our age, our income, our political affiliation, our religion, or our nationality.  We all have this in common.  Every man and every woman experiences hopelessness.  Here’s how Casting Crowns puts it:

I’m the man with all I’ve ever wanted

All the toys and playing games

I am the one who pours your coffee, corner booth each Saturday

I am your daughter’s favorite teacher

I am the leader of the band

I sit behind you in the bleachers

I am every man

I’m the coach of every winning team and still a loser in my mind

I am the soldier in the airport facing giants one more time

I am the woman shamed and haunted by the cry of unborn life

I’m every broken man, nervous child, lonely wife

Is there hope for every man

A solid place where we can stand

In this dry and weary land

Is there hope for every man

Is there love that never dies

Is there peace in troubled times

Someone help me understand

Is there hope for every man

Seems there’s just so many roads to travel, it’s hard to tell where they will lead

My life is scarred and my dreams unraveled

Now I’m scared to take the leap

If I could find someone to follow who knows my pain and feels the weight

The uncertainty of my tomorrow, the guilt and pain of yesterday

The man with all the toys.  The one who pours your coffee.  Your daughter’s favorite teacher.  The leader of the band.  The one behind you in the bleachers.  The coach of the winning team.  The soldier in the airport.  The broken man, nervous child, and lonely wife.  Everyone, at some point in life, experiences hopelessness.  Everyone experiences hopelessness.

A late 15^th century morality play takes this one step further.[1] The play is called “The Summoning of Everyman.”  It explores the hopeless which is common among us when it comes to spiritual matters.  The central character in this centuries-old play is called “Everyman.”  He is represents every man and every woman.  What he experiences spiritually in the play is what the author of the play believes everyone experiences.  And here’s the point of the play: Everyone experiences hopelessness before God.

The play opens with God.  And God is singing the blues.  Why?  Because humans have turned away from him.  They no longer seek to please Him.  They are no longer grateful for all God has given them.  So God sends Death to the character called Everyman.  God tells Death to bring Everyman to Him so that Everyman can give an accounting for his life.  The point is that God is calling every man and every woman to give an accounting for their lives.  God will call you to given an accounting for your life.

Death finds Everyman and tells him that it is time to die, and go to God, and explain why he’s done what he’s done with his life.  Everyman protests.  He says that he needs more time to gather what is necessary to give an appropriate accounting of his life.  Everyman even tries to bribe Death.  But Death denies his request.  Still, Death does tell Everyman that he can bring a companion with him to testify on his behalf before God.

So, one by one, Everyman visits a number of companions, asking each one to consider joining him on this journey to God.  Asking each one to consider putting in a good word with God for him.  First, Everyman approaches an individual called Fellowship.  Fellowship stands for Everyman’s friends.  Fellowship explains that he’s happy to eat, drink, and be merry with Everyman in this life.  But he does not wish to follow Everyman into the next life.

Next, Everyman approaches individuals called Kindred and Cousin.  They represent the family members of Everyman.  Everyman begs them to stand by his side when he meets God.  But they refuse.

Third, Everyman asks an individual named Goods.  Goods represents all the wealth and resources which Everyman accumulated during life.  Goods replies that he will not accompany Everyman before God.  Why?  Because, he explains, his presence would only infuriate God.  Everyman never shared Goods with others.  So Goods actually has nothing good to say about Everyman

Fourth, Everyman approaches an individual named Good Deeds.  This is the incarnation of all the good acts Everyman did during his life.  Unfortunately, Good Deeds is not strong enough to even make the trip, because Everyman did not do enough good deeds.  Still, Good Deeds is sympathetic with Everyman.  He wants to help.  So, they shore up the weaknesses of Good Deeds and eventually Good Deeds is able to join Everyman on the journey to God.  Everyman dies and ascends to God with Good Deeds by his side.

As the play closes, the Doctor, representing a scholar, enters and provides an epilogue.  He explains to the audience the moral of the story: In the end we will only have Good Deeds to accompany us beyond the grave.

I’m not certain of the original author’s intention.  But I do know how this production plays today—it’s a tragedy.  The play is suggesting that our only hope before the holy God is our good deeds.  The play is stating that the only witness to testify on behalf of every man and every woman is Good Deeds.  And I don’t know about you, but my Good Deeds are not strong enough to make that journey.  My Good Deeds offer little in the way of a heaven-earning testimony before God.  If Good Deeds are our only companion, then everyone is facing hopelessness before God.

That’s the context in which we must listen to the genealogy of Jesus found in Luke’s Gospel.  On Sunday mornings we’ve been listening to the genealogies, the family trees, of Jesus found in Matthew’s Gospel and Luke’s Gospel.  We’ve heard several times that Luke and Matthew are not just interested in chronology.  They are interested in theology.  There are not just trying to explain something about grandmothers and great grandfathers.  They are trying to explain something about who God is and how God works.  The genealogies are windows into the heart of God.

There are significant differences between Matthew’s genealogy, which was the focus of our first two Sundays, and Luke’s genealogy, which is our focus this morning.  The one difference I want to draw your attention to is how far back these genealogies go.  Matthew, like a good Jewish writer would, begins his genealogy at the end—in his case with Abraham and King David—and works forward toward Jesus.  Luke, however, like a good non-Jewish writer would, begins with Jesus and works backward.

And Matthew’s genealogy traces the lineage only as far as Abraham and David.  Matthew only traces Jesus’ family tree back to the two heroes of the Jewish faith—Abraham and King David.  He stops there.  Why?  Because what Matthew most wants us to know about Jesus is that he descended from Abraham—the father of the Jewish faith, and from David—the great warrior, poet, and King of the Jewish faith.

But that might cause some problems.  After all, how many of us are Jewish?  If Matthew’s genealogy is the only one we had, those of us with no Jewish roots might feel left out.  We might think, “Oh, so Jesus is for the Jews.  Jesus descended from the heroes of the Jewish faith.  He stands with the Jews.  But that makes Jesus sound exclusive.  He belongs to one nation.  He belongs to one ethnicity.  He belongs to one religion.  What about the rest of us?  Does Jesus stand with us?”

This may be why Luke offers a complementary genealogy.  Luke’s family tree keeps going way beyond where Matthew’s stops.  The last branch in Matthew’s Christmas Family Tree is Abraham.  But notice how many more branches Luke provides: ³⁴ the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham, the son of Terah, the son of Nahor, ³⁵the son of Serug, the son of Reu, the son of Peleg, the son of Eber, the son of Shelah, ³⁶the son of Cainan, the son of Arphaxad, the son of Shem, the son of Noah, the son of Lamech, ³⁷the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch, the son of Jared, the son of Mahalaleel, the son of Cainan, ³⁸the son of Enos, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God. (Luke 3:34-38 ESV).  Matthew traces Jesus’ genealogy only back to Abraham and David.  But Luke traces Jesus’ genealogy all the way back to Adam, the very first human being.

Now, your first reaction to that may be “So what?  What’s the big deal?  Aren’t we all descended from Adam?  What’s so special about Jesus being a descendant of Adam?  Isn’t every single human being, according the Bible, descended from Adam?  Doesn’t everyone have this one thing in common?”  And Luke would say, “That’s the point.”  Luke would say, “What I want to show you about Jesus is not something that makes him stand out.  What I want to show you about Jesus is something that makes him blend in.  Something that makes him just like every man and every woman who has ever lived.  What I want to show you about Jesus is that according to his family tree, he stands for all of us.  He shares what all of us share.  Just like all of us, his family tree goes all the way back to Adam.“

Scholars are nearly unanimous in their conclusion about why that would be important to Luke.  It was important because Luke, above all other writers, wants to show that Jesus is the hope not just of one racial group, one nation, one gender, one tribe, one ethnic group, or one religion.  Luke wanted to show that Jesus is the hope for every man and every woman.  Luke’s message was this: Jesus is the hope for everyone.

This tune is sounded again and again in Luke’s gospel and in his Volume 2, the Book of Acts:

• And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.  (Luke 2:10 ESV)
• …and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’” (Luke 3:6 ESV)
• and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.  (Luke 24:47 ESV)
• But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” (Acts 1:8 ESV)
• “‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh (Acts 2:17 ESV).
• And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’ (Acts 2:21 ESV)
• To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.” (Acts 10:43 ESV)
• For so the Lord has commanded us, saying, “‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’” (Acts 13:47 ESV).

What Luke wanted us to know is that Jesus is the hope for everyone.  Not just one nation.  Not just one gender.  Not just one religion.  Not just one ethnicity.  Jesus is the hope for everyone.  Every man and every woman finds hope in Jesus Christ.  Because of him “all the people” can receive great joy on Christmas.  Because of him “all flesh” may see the salvation of God.  Because of him “all nations” can repent and be forgiven.  Because of him, God’s Spirit is poured out on “all flesh.”  Because of him “everyone” who calls upon God will be saved.

And that’s why Luke traces Jesus’ family tree all the way back to Adam, the one ancestor whom we all share, the one from whom  we are all descended.  He wants us to know that Jesus is not just the son of Abraham and the son of David.  Jesus doesn’t just stand with the Jews.  Jesus is also the son of Adam.  Jesus stands with all of us.

And thus the lament sung by Casting Crowns turns on its head and becomes a note of joy.  For they sing:

There is hope for every man

A solid place where we can stand

In this dry and weary land

There is hope for every man

There is Love that never dies

There is peace in troubled times

Will we help them understand?

Jesus is hope for every man

Jesus is the hope for everyone.  That’s Luke’s Gospel.  That’s what he wants you to know about the birth of Jesus and the family tree of Jesus.  Jesus is your hope.  Jesus is your salvation.  Jesus is your joy.  No matter what race you are.  No matter what gender you are.  No matter what religion you are.  No matter what the rest of your family tree looks like.  Jesus is hope for every man.  He is therefore hope for you.

Now, for just a second, let me put the emphasis on the word Jesus: Jesus is the hope for everyone.  There’s something challenging about Luke’s Christmas Family Tree.  Because when he says that Jesus is the hope for everyone, he’s saying that there is no hope but Jesus.  Your family is not your hope.  Your Good Deeds are not your hope.  Lots of presents under the tree are not your hope.  The name on the church building is not your hope.  Your job is not your hope.  Your income is not your hope.  Your racial heritage is not your hope.  The U.S. government is not your hope.  The City Council is not your hope.  Your boyfriend or girlfriend is not your hope.  Buddha is not the hope of the world.  Muhammad is not the hope of the world.  Abraham is not the hope of the world.  David is not the hope of the world.  Your only hope, and the only hope for every person on this planet is Jesus Christ.  To put hope in anything else is to remain hopeless.  That’s the challenge of Luke’s Christmas Family Tree.

But the good news is that Jesus is the hope for everyone. In his book Deserted by God? Sinclair Ferguson shares this story:[2] The first physician to die of the AIDS virus in the United Kingdom was a young Christian. He had contracted it while doing medical research in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. In the last days of his life, his power of communication failed. He struggled with increasing difficulty to express his thoughts to his wife. On one occasion she simply could not understand his message. He wrote on a note pad the letter J. She ran through her medical dictionary, saying various words beginning with J. None was right. Then she said, “Jesus?”  That was the right word. He was with them. That was all either of them needed to know. [And] that is always enough. What Luke wants you to know is that hope is spelled with the letter J.  Even in the worst of situations, hope is spelled with the letter J.  That’s all you’ll ever really need.

National Geographic researchers recently worked to figure out what Everyman looks like.  If you could take the physical qualities and characteristics most common among the most people in the world today, and combine them, what would it look like?  Watch this video:

Some of us may be surprised that Everyman is Chinese, speaks Mandarin, has no car, and is a Christian.  In the same way, we may be surprised about Luke’s claim regarding the hope of Everyman.  What does the hope of Everyman look like?  He’s not a warrior.  He’s not political leader.  He’s not flamboyant.  He’s easy to miss in a crowd.  In fact, he was born in a stable, to an unwed mother, and he died the shameful death of a criminal.  But he is the hope of Everyman.  He is Jesus.

Please stand.  I want to guide us in a few seconds of prayer and reflection.  Close your eyes.  “Father, we struggle with hope.  We so often put our hope in the wrong thing or the wrong person.  This morning Father, we want to admit one wrong thing we’ve put our hope in.  Hear us right now as each of us silently completes this sentence: I have put my hope in ____________.  But God we want to put our hope in Jesus.  No matter who we are, we know he is our true hope.  Hear us right now as each of us silently says this to you: I now put my hope in Jesus.  Thank you Father for filling us with hope.  We pray in Jesus’ name.  Amen.”

[2] Sinclair Ferguson, Deserted by God? (Banner of Truth, 1993), 51.

I’d like to start with two questions.  First, how many of you have a “black sheep” in the family, a misfit in the family, a crazy uncle or a wild brother or a weird sister or an unusual grandparent?  Second, how many of you talked about that black sheep recently at a meal?  In the New York Times Margo Kaufman writes about holiday family meals: “When families gather around the holiday table for the traditional feast, there is traditionally one person who is conspicuous by either absence or presence.  Male or female, rich or poor, married or single, young or old, teetotaler or alcoholic – this person is often the object of ridicule, pity, envy, awe, fear, scorn, embarrassment or secret admiration, for as the proverb goes: ‘There is a black sheep in every fold.‘”[1] Thanksgiving and Christmas may be times when we are especially reminded of our family’s “black sheep.”  Most of us have one or two and when we get together for holiday meals our conversation inevitably turns to them.

Earlier this year the New York Post reported on the upcoming royal wedding between Kate Middleton and Prince William.  The author discussed family members of Kate’s who probably would not be invited to the wedding: a burlesque-dancing cousin named Katrine and an Uncle Gary who was once caught selling cocaine.  These were two, the reporter said, of the “black sheep” of the Middleton family.  And their presence at the wedding would have cast Kate in a negative light.

The 1996 film “Black Sheep” told the fictional story of Al Donnelly.  Donnelly was a candidate for the governor of Washington State.  His bid for the governorship, however, was threatened by his unruly brother Mike.  Eventually Donnelly hired someone to keep his brother under wraps until the election was over.  He didn’t want voters to make assumptions about him based on this “black sheep.”

Black sheep often cast other family members in a negative light. People make assumptions about the whole family because of the behavior one misfit.  And especially if you are in a position of power or influence, you want to keep your black sheep secret.  We don’t want people reaching conclusions about us based on what they see in the most misfit members of our family.

The same thing was true for those who lived in Jesus’ day.  Our current Sunday morning series is focused on the family tree of Jesus, found in Matthew 1 and Luke 3.  And as I briefly noted last Sunday, ancient genealogies were very common.  A good genealogy, a good family tree, could enhance your standing and prove your worth.  A bad genealogy tree could diminish your standing and raise questions about your worth.  In other words, a black sheep in your genealogy could cast you in a negative light.

And this makes Matthew’s genealogy very surprising.  Because he includes some black sheep that he easily could have kept secret.  To appreciate what Matthew’s done, we need to understand that ancient genealogies generally only needed to include male ancestors.[2] You might add the names of women ancestors if their presence added to dignity of the family.[3] But otherwise you’d leave them out.  Breaking custom, Matthew includes four women (besides Jesus’ mother Mary) in the genealogy of Jesus.  And the women he chose to include are questionable.  If Matthew was going to include women in Jesus’ genealogy, it would have made sense for him to include the names of four different women: Sarah, Rebekah, Rachel, and Leah.  These were considered to be the four model matriarchs of Judaism.  There was even a song known from after the time of Jesus which Jews taught their children.  This song went something like this: “Who knows four?  I know four.  Four are the matriarchs; three are the patriarchs; two are the tablets of the covenant; one is our God…”  The four matriarchs were Sarah, Rebekah, Rachel and Leah.[4] These would have been natural for Matthew to include because they could have added to the dignity of Jesus’ family tree.

Yet Matthew decided to highlight four different women, four “black sheep”: Tamar (Matt. 1:3), Rahab (Matt. 1:5), Ruth (Matt. 1:5), and “the wife of Uriah” also known as Basheba (Matt. 1:6).  We would consider these women misfits.  They would have been likely to create some controversy.  In fact, they could have easily cast Jesus in a negative light. Let’s take a brief look at these four women.

First, Tamar.  Tamar was a Canaanite woman (a non-Jewish woman) who became the wife of a man named Er.  Er was the oldest son of a man named Judah (Gen. 38).  Er died and Judah, the father-in-law ordered his second son, Onan, to father a child with Tamar.  Onan refused and died.  Judah then proposed that his daughter-in-law return to her family’s home until Judah’s youngest son matured to the point that he might father a child with Tamar.  She did this very thing.  But Judah forgot about Tamar.  He abandoned his daughter-in-law.  He left her with no husband to provide for her and no child to carry on the family name.  Desperate, Tamar disguised herself as a prostitute and tricked her father-in-law Judah into sleeping with her.  Tamar became pregnant.  And Tamar’s offspring became an ancestor of King David who became an ancestor of Jesus.  Matthew intentionally highlight’s this unusual woman in Jesus’ genealogy.

Second, Rahab.  Rahab was a prostitute in the non-Jewish city of Jericho.  When the Israelites sent in spies to Canaan, they stayed in Rahab’s home which was located in the wall that protected Jericho (Josh. 2).  After hiding the spies on the roof and helping them escape, Rahab asked that she and her family might be spared when the Israelites returned and invaded the city.  Her request was granted and only Rahab and her family survived the conquest of Jericho (Josh 6).  Rahab the pagan prostitute is the mother of a child who is an ancestor of Jesus.  Matthew intentionally highlighted her in this genealogy.

Third, Ruth.  A family of four moved from Bethlehem to the country of Moab during a famine.   The two Jewish sons married two non-Jewish women: Orpah and Ruth.  The father died.  The two sons died.  Naomi, the mother, was left without her husband and her two sons.  She decided to return to Israel because she heard the famine was over.  She persuaded one daughter-in-law, Orpah, to remain in Moab, her home.  But Ruth, the other daughter-in-law refused to stay.  She was determined to go to Israel with Naomi.  And in a famous line, she said to Naomi, “Your people shall be my people, and your God my God.” (Ruth 1:16 ESV).  The line, of course, indicates that Israel was not Ruth’s people and Israel’s God was not her God.  Ruth ends up marrying and giving birth to the grandfather of King David, an ancestor of Jesus.

Finally, “the wife of Uriah.”  Bathsheba is married to a Hittite (a non-Jewish man) named Uriah (2 Sam. 11).  Uriah is one of King David’s top military heroes.  One day, while the army, including Uriah, are at battle, King David spies Bathsheba taking her evening bath.  He sends for Bathsheba and has sexual intercourse with her.  When the king later learns that Bathsheba is pregnant, he orders Uriah back to Jerusalem from the front lines.  He hopes Uriah will sleep with his wife Bathsheba and that everyone will thus conclude that the baby is Uriah’s and not King David’s.  But Uriah refused to go home and sleep with Bathsheba.  Frustrated, David sent him back to the battle and ordered Uriah to be placed on the front lines and then abandoned.  As a result, Uriah was killed.  David then married Bathsheba, but their child died.  Bathsheba had other children by David.  And this lineage eventually led to Jesus.

Matthew chose to highlight these four women.  And the women and their circumstances could have easily cast Jesus in a negative light.  Consider the circumstances of these black sheep.  Tamar is the victim of a father-in-law who is, at best, neglectful, and, at worst, a sexual scoundrel.  Bathsheba is the victim (we’re not sure how willing she was) of a king bent on sexual conquest and willing to commit murder to cover up the act.  Just the circumstances surrounding these women could have raised questions about Jesus.

But consider the women themselves.  It’s not that they are sinful and the others in the family tree are not sinful.  But they do have qualities which, nonetheless, would have made them less than desirable for including in Jesus’ family tree.  Most significantly, all four of these women share a non-Jewish background.[5] Tamar is a Canaanite woman.  Rahab is from Jericho, a Canaanite city.  Ruth is from Moab, a non- Jewish country.  And Bathsheba is married to a Hittite, a non-Jew.  Most writers of Jewish genealogies would have done everything they could to keep any mention of Gentiles out of the genealogy because their presence contaminates the blood line.[6] But Matthew draws attention to these four women with non-Jewish ancestries.

In addition, we can assume that at least Rahab and Ruth actively worshiped a god who was not the true God.  Growing up in Jericho and Moab, both of them would have had faith in and worshiped gods who were not the true God of the Bible.

Further, Tamar is a widow—a person often neglected in ancient societies.  Rahab was a prostitute—definitely someone on the fringe of society.  Bathsheba was an adulteress.

In a word, all four all “outsiders.”  Matthew highlights these women who turn out to be national, racial, societal, spiritual and moral outsiders. They are racial and national outsiders.  They come from or are associated with foreign countries and foreign ethnicities.  In addition, Tamar is an outsider in terms of society—she is an abandoned widow.  Rahab is a moral outsider—a prostitute in a foreign city.  Bathsheba may be a moral outsider–an adulteress, though we do not know how willing or unwilling she was.  And Ruth and Rahab, are at the very least, spiritual outsiders—they worship a different god.  They are all outsiders.

And the question is this: why would Matthew include these outsiders in Jesus’ genealogy?  We might think that their presence casts Jesus in a negative light.  But the opposite is actually true.  Matthew highlights these four outsiders because they cast Jesus in a positive light. Scholar Frederick Dale Bruner writes this: ““God did not begin to stoop into our sordid human story at Christmas only; he was stooping all the way through the Old Testament.”[7] Matthew wants to paint Jesus as the stooping saviror.  He wants to introduce Jesus as one who did not start stooping to our level at the manger.  He stooped through his entire family tree.  He stooped through racial outsiders.  He stooped through national outsiders.  He stooped through societal outsiders.  He stooped through spiritual outsiders.  He stooped through moral outsiders.

And this amazing claim hits home in at least two ways.  First, Jesus’ family tree of outsiders means we should welcome outsiders who are unlike us.

A couple of weeks ago I attended a gathering of Memphis organizations who serve ex-felons.  One man named Duane was introduced and came to the stage.  He shared how several years ago he had served two years in prison.  When released, he returned to his wife and family in Memphis.  He started a cleaning business.  Eventually he won the cleaning contract for a large Memphis hospital.  He and his wife started earning a good living through the business.  But one day he was called into the office of his supervisor at the hospital.  During a routine background check, they had discovered that he was an ex-felon.  When Duane confirmed this, they fired him.  No questions asked.  He had provided excellent service for months.  But once they learned he had spent time in prison, they wanted nothing to do with him.  His business dried up.  Within a few months, he and his wife defaulted on the mortgage of their home in Cordova.  They and their five children became homeless.  Through the kindness of a friend, they found a hotel they could stay in for three weeks.  Then the hotel was sold and they were kicked out.  They had to live in substandard housing for months before Duane was finally able to start generating income again.  After the speech, one of the hosts of the gathering got up and said, “In many ways, people like Duane are the lepers of our society.  Even when they admit they’ve made mistakes, even when they show discipline and determination, even when they become model citizens, they are treated as less than human.  Because of something that happened in their past, they are rejected and outcast.”

I suppose that last line describes some of us.  Because of something that’s happened in our past, we often feel rejected and outcast.  But it certainly describes a lot of people around us.  We are surrounded every day by invisible people who feel rejected and outcast.   They don’t talk like us.  They don’t look like us.  They don’t think like us.  They don’t dress like us.  And they don’t smell like us.  And our tendency is to ignore them at best, or to reject them at worst.  But the fact that Jesus comes from a long lineage of outsiders demands that we repent.  It demands that we accept those others will not.  It means that we as individuals, as families, as Reach Groups, as Sunday School classes, and as a church welcome and embrace true outsiders—the ones whom everyone else makes fun of, labels, neglects, or condemns.  As followers of Jesus, his genealogy sets the pattern for our lives.  Jesus’ family tree included many true outsiders.  Ours must as well.

Second, Jesus’ family tree of outsiders means Jesus welcomes outsiders like us.

Julie Fowler is a long-time supporter of HopeWorks and often serves as a faith encourager.  Recently she met with a student at HopeWorks.  And this student was struggling greatly in her spiritual life.  Because of something in her past, she felt judged and rejected by others in the program.  She was a former prostitute.  And as she shared this with Julie, Julie was inspired.  She turned to Matt. 1 and read this genealogy to the student.  Julie gave special emphasis to Matt. 1:5 which mentions Rahab.  Rahab the prostitute.  And Julie showed how this prostitute was actually one of the ancestors of Jesus Christ himself.  When Julie was finished sharing, the student started crying.  She said, “No one ever showed that to me before.”  She couldn’t believe it.  But she now knew without a doubt that Jesus accepted her and loved her.  If Jesus had come from a prostitute, he would certainly welcome a prostitute.

Jesus’ genealogy is Matthew’s attempt to say to people like her and all of us who feel like outsiders with God: Jesus welcomes you and desires to work through you.  Others may treat you as less than human.  But in Jesus God stoops to your level.  While others cast you out, Jesus welcomes you in.  While others reject you, Jesus accepts you.  While others say you’re good for nothing, Jesus says you’re good enough for him.  The presence of these four outsiders in Jesus’ genealogy stand as proof.  Jesus’ family tree of outsiders means he welcomes outsiders just like us.

In our response time this morning, let’s consider both sides of this issue.  First, are we welcoming outsiders?  Second, are we accepting Jesus’ welcome of us?  Our elders host a time of prayer and counseling after each service at The Shepherd’s Corner.  It’s located right by the church office.  And if you’d like to pray with them about one of those two issues, I urge you to stop by The Shepherd’s Corner this morning.  We’d also be happy to pray with you right now.  Are you welcoming outsiders?  Are you accepting Jesus’ welcome of you?  If we can help you answer one of those questions positively, come as we stand and sing.

[2] Ibid., 79-80.

[3] Frederick Dale Bruner Matthew: A Commentary Volume 1 (Word, 1987), 5-6.

[4] Ibid., 6-7.

[5] Ben Witherington III Matthew Smyth & Helwys Bible Commentary (Smyth & Helwys, 2006), 40.

[6] Keener, 40.

[7] Bruner, 6.

The land lies devastated, Lord.

The bodies lie unburied, food for birds and beasts.

How long, O Lord, must we endure this?

Bring an end to our pain and to the powers that caused it.

Let your compassion come speedily.

Be the Shepherd we so desperately need.

[image]

Teach us, God, to teach our children not just history but His Story–the account of your glorious deeds and doings.

May His Story be the next generation’s greatest inheritance.

May no generation pass without our passing your account on to them.

May they find themselves in you.

Like us, may they set their hope on you.

[image]

O God…

Evil looms large in this land.

Wickedness runs wild on this earth.

There is no place untouched by the inky fingers of iniquity.

Even the holiest places are frequented by this vile visitor.

But you, O God, are greater.

You own day and night.

You handcrafted the sun and moon.

You established the boundaries of earth.

You invented summer and winter.

There is no evil you cannot overcome.

[image]

My mouth is filled with your praise, Lord.

All day I declare your splendor.

Why?

Because you are my refuge.

You are my rock.

Upon you I’ve relied since birth.

My tongue tells of your deeds, Lord.

All day I declare your saving acts.

Why?

Because no one does what you do.

You see me through my troubles.

You rescue me from the pits and pains of life.

That’s why today my mouth is full of praise.

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Hurry God!

Run.

Fly.

Sprint.

Speed.

I can’t wait another minute for your mercy.

I can’t live another day without your deliverance.

I’ve reached my limit.

I’m past my capacity.

I’m going to blow up or burn out.

Hurry God!

Run.

Fly.

Sprint.

Speed.

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With might you shaped the mountains.

With vigor you carved the valleys.

With love you watered the land.

With patience you answered our prayers.

For this we praise you and sing songs of joy.

But our praise and joy is also triggered by this:

with fondness you forgave our faults.

We were overwhelmed by our offenses–crushed, wounded, ashamed, and afraid.

But you absolved.  You pardoned.  You took them all away.

You truly are the hope of all the earth.

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Lord, we thought we perceived your plan.

We believed we knew your purpose.

But you’ve altered that plan.

You’ve adjusted that purpose.

And now, we’re off course.

Now, we’re off the map.

Be with us, Lord, as we step into the unknown.

Help us, Lord, to trust in your person though we do not know your plan.

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Quick–without giving it more than two seconds of thought, name one thing you are thankful for.  Finish this sentence: “God, I’m grateful for_____.”

Chances are you filled in the blank with something author Chuck Colson calls “natural gratitude” (Colson is using categories from the preacher/theologian Jonathan Edwards).  Natural gratitude, Colson writes, is a thankfulness “for blessings received. Life, health, home, family, freedom, a tall, cold lemonade on a summer day — it’s a mindset of active appreciation for all good gifts.”  These are the gifts which come easily to mind “in a world full of…blessings.”

Stage One: Natural Gratitude in a World of Blessing

We might call this Stage One gratitude.  Stage One gratitude is expressed by many of us when we live in the world of blessing.  It is the gratitude that comes quickly and most naturally.  This gratitude is prompted by what’s easily seen: a steady job, good health, a best friend, technology that makes life easier, a great meal, a kind note of appreciation, a recent prayer answered powerfully and positively, etc. 

Take just a moment right now and list the first five that come to your mind.  Now, give thanks to God for some of these top-of-the-mind items.

Stage Two: Gratitude for the Foundation of a World of Blessing

For some of us, gratitude stops right there.  But there’s so much more.  I suggest that there’s a Stage Two gratitude which we sometimes miss, even when we live in a world of blessing.  There are certain things which are responsible for the general goodness of life which we often overlook.  Walter Brueggeman points out that the Psalms of Orientation focus on these.  Psalms of Orientation are prayers of gratitude for the things just under the surface which make life so pleasant.  These prayers point to four things of God which have provided us our world of blessing:

• His word which reveals who He is and the best way to live our lives.  Psalm 119 overflows with gratitude for the way God’s word helps us understand His nature and gives us practical wisdom for living.
• The beautiful and rich cosmos he created for us to live in.  Psalm 104 praises God for the bounty of his creation and the way he sustains it and uses it to bless us. 
• A predictable moral law woven into his creation.  Psalm 133 thanks God for a moral law that generally says life in community is superior to life in isolation. 
• A long history of being involved in the lives of his people.   Psalm 136 invites us to give thanks for the many ways God has worked in human history to bless his people.

Take a moment right now to give thanks to God for one of these things.

In his book Prayer Richard Foster writes about four obstacles that keep us from what I’ve called Stage One and Stage Two gratitude.  

• The first obstacle is inattention. We simply often do not pay attention to good things God has given us.
• A second obstacle is the wrong kind of attention. For example, we might pay attention to a sunset. But rather than allowing the sunset to draw us into praise, we ask analytical and scientific questions of it: why does the sun turn that color, etc.?
• A third obstacle is greed. Foster writes, “Instead of simply enjoying pleasures, we demand more pleasures-whether we enjoy them or not.”
• Finally, conceit is an obstacle to celebration. Conceit leads us to amazement at ourselves rather than amazement at our God and all he’s given to us.

Gratitude thus requires 1) attention to all God has given us, 2) with the result that we adore the Giver rather than analyzing the gift, 3) satisfaction with what God’s granted instead of dissatisfaction for what God has not granted, and 4) the fundamental conviction that it’s not our hard work that has filled our homes and bank accounts—it’s God’s great grace.

Which of these four is your greatest obstacle?  What could you do to overcome this obstacle this week?

Stage Three: Gratitude for Who God is in a World of Brokenness

But what happens to gratitude, praise, and adoration when our world is no longer a world of blessing?  What happens when we suddenly find ourselves in what Colson calls “the world of brokenness?”  Colson writes: “[natural] gratitude doesn’t come naturally — if at all — when things go badly. It can’t buoy us in difficult times…And, to paraphrase Jesus, even pagans can give thanks when things are going well.  [Jonathan] Edwards calls the deeper, primary form of thankfulness ‘gracious gratitude.’ It gives thanks not for goods received, but for who God is: for His character — His goodness, love, power, excellencies — regardless of favors received…It is relational, rather than conditional. Though our world may shatter, we are secure in Him…And that, more than any words we might utter, is a powerful witness to our neighbors that God’s power is real, and His presence very relevant, even in a world full of brokenness as well as blessings.”

Is gratitude and praise possible even in a world of brokenness?  Colson argues that it is.  We can focus on who God still is in spite of the circumstances of our lives.  This seems to be the experience of David in Psalm 13.  Though caught in a trying time, David nonetheless states, “But I have trusted in your steadfast love.”  Even in brokenness David can give thanks for the steadfast love which his circumstances cannot deny.

Richard Foster, in his book Prayer, argues that some forms of prayers of gratitude engage the heart while others engage the mind.  Thanksgiving, gratitude for what God has done for us, engages the heart.  Praise, gratitude for who God is, engages the mind.  We might argue than in a world of brokenness, when even our heart is broken, thanksgiving comes less naturally.  But what can still flow are the words of praise that come from a mind still focused on God and convinced in the unchanging nature of God.

We might call Stage Three gratitude the gratitude focused on who God is.  In spite of trying times, we can still praise God for who he is.  Take a moment right now to list some of God’s qualities which do not change even when our circumstances do change.  Now, thank God for these.

Stage Four: Gratitude for What God is Doing in a World of Brokenness

There is, however, one more step we might take in expressing gratitude in a world of brokenness.  It’s a step modeled perfectly by Jesus.  In Matt. 11 Jesus experiences a series of disappointments and setbacks.  Yet at the bottom of that pit, Jesus expresses gratitude: “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children.” (Matt. 11:25).  This is not natural gratitude.  This is unnatural. 

Notice what prompts the “I thank you.”  First, Jesus is focused on who God is.  Rather than focus on the negative circumstance he focuses on the nature of God.  He reminds himself in prayer that God is “Father” and “Lord of heaven and earth.”  These characteristics of God have not changed in spite of the circumstance Jesus finds himself in.  Jesus focuses on who God is.  Foster would call this “praise.”  Jesus has engaged his mind to focus on the unchanging qualities of God.

But Jesus also focuses on what God is doing.  Even though Jesus finds himself in a set of circumstances in which God does not appear to be working, Jesus recognizes that God is working.  Even in this deep pit God is “hiding” and “revealing.”  God is at work.  Jesus trusts not just in the nature of God but in the work of God.  He believes God is still present and active in spite of the brokenness around him.

Take a moment and consider the world of brokenness around you.  Can you still see God at work in some small way?  Thank God for that small but significant work.

Notes:

Chuck Colson, “Grateful for God in Tough Times” Christian Post (July 5, 2011) www.christianpost.com.

Richard Foster, Prayer(HarperSanFrancisco, 1992).

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