Sunday before Christmas, Of the Ancestors

Peter H. Davids

Byzantine Catholic Homilies • Sermon • Submitted a year ago

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Our texts describe a genealogy of faith, one a genealogy of the faithful who risk all for God whatever the result in this life and one a genealogy of the Messianic promise which describes faithful and non-faithful, gentile women and irregular relationships, men who ruled and many who were poor and without influence, but all were part of bringing God's promise to fruition. We are called to trust God, to lay our all on the line and to be faithful to him so that we may be included in the mystery of the genealogy of faith.

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Ambon Prayer 49

Title

Genealogy of Faith

Outline

In Family Systems Theory one looks up the genealogical tree to find one’s emotional inheritance

That is also what one will pass down to later generations

Specifically one looks at ways of relating, levels of differentiation, and various dysfunctions - in my family of origin I can see varying levels of absentee fathers in one side and emotional dysfunction in another, generation after generation.

In our texts we also see an genealogy of inheritance, but the focus is on faith and promise.

Hebrews focuses on the genealogy of faith

People trusted God and obeyed God despite various temptations and did so generation after generation.

Like Abraham who was tested they placed every hope they had on the line trusting that God would work it out, that he would not break his promise.

Some experienced eventual blessing in this life, while some suffered brutally - the list includes martyrs from 2 Maccabees - but all trusted God and were willing to risk or give all to be true to him.

The culmination of the promise did not come until God sent his Son, who fulfilled all of the promises.

Matthew focuses on a genealogy of covenant or promise

The genealogy fulfills a promise made to Abraham and then narrowed in David, which is why it is 3 x 14, the rise and fall of the house of David, for d-v-d is 4-6-4 in Hebrew.

But there are twists and turns, for it includes three women from outside Israel who were women of faith, it includes two women from inside Israel who were, well, irregular. It includes faithful and unfaithful kings and it omits one king because the rightful king was still living in exile. Then in the second rise of the Davidic house it probably follows the line of succession rather than Luke’s physical genealogy and does so even though the clan was poor and most did not rule.

Finally it ends up with “Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ.” But there is no physical descent at all. In fact Joseph is surprised when his wife with whom he had not yet slept turns out to be pregnant. But he is righteous, so rather than fly off the handle he seeks to act mercifully, like God, but still maintain righteousness. That is faith.

An angel appears in a dream and tells him, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit; she will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” This was very strange, even if the name Jehoshua or Joshua or Jesus was known and even if Joseph realized Israel needed saving.

Well, what did Joseph do when he heard this strange angelic word in a dream? “When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took his wife, but knew her not until she had borne a son; and he called his name Jesus.” Immediate obedience with careful protection - one did not touch the ark of the covenant. That is how we know he had faith and therefore saw the promise fulfilled, even if the fulfillment he saw was a baby, not a mighty warrior.

Friends, faith has to do with mystery, the mystery of God’s promise.

Because we trust God we give all we have to God, we risk all for God.

We know that the promise will be fulfilled, but we do not know our role. We may suffer as part of the fulfillment or we may experience eventual blessing.

Yet, whatever the result is, we end up part of the genealogy of faith, blessed by God forever, but blessed within the mystery that is God.

Readings

Byzantine Lectionary (Revised Julian) 12-18-2022: Sunday before Nativity or Sunday of the Fathers

EPISTLE

Hebrews 11:9–10, 17–23, 32–40

9 By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. 10 For he looked forward to the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.

17 By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was ready to offer up his only-begotten son, 18 of whom it was said, “Through Isaac shall your descendants be named.” 19 He considered that God was able to raise men even from the dead; hence he did receive him back and this was a symbol. 20 By faith Isaac invoked future blessings on Jacob and Esau. 21 By faith Jacob, when dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, bowing in worship over the head of his staff. 22 By faith Joseph, at the end of his life, made mention of the exodus of the Israelites and gave directions concerning his burial.

23 By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden for three months by his parents, because they saw that the child was beautiful; and they were not afraid of the king’s edict.

32 And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets—33 who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, received promises, stopped the mouths of lions, 34 quenched raging fire, escaped the edge of the sword, won strength out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. 35 Women received their dead by resurrection. Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, that they might rise again to a better life. 36 Others suffered mocking and scourging, and even chains and imprisonment. 37 They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword; they went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, illtreated—38 of whom the world was not worthy—wandering over deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.

39 And all these, though well attested by their faith, did not receive what was promised, 40 since God had foreseen something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect.

Byzantine Lectionary (Revised Julian) 12-18-2022: Sunday before Nativity or Sunday of the Fathers

GOSPEL

Matthew 1:1–25

1 The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.

2 Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, 3 And Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram, 4 and Ram the father of Amminadab, and Amminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon, 5 and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse, 6 and Jesse the father of David the king.

And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah, 7 and Solomon the father of Rehoboam, and Rehoboam the father of Abijah, and Abijah the father of Asa, 8 and Asa the father of Jehoshaphat, and Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, and Joram the father of Uzziah, 9 and Uzziah the father of Jotham, and Jotham the father of Ahaz, and Ahaz the father of Hezekiah, 10 and Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, and Manasseh the father of Amos, and Amos the father of Josiah, 11 and Josiah the father of Jechoniah and his brothers, at the time of the deportation to Babylon.

12 And after the deportation to Babylon: Jechoniah was the father of She-alti-el, and She-alti-el the father of Zerubbabel, 13 and Zerub-babel the father of Abiud, and Abiud the father of Eliakim, and Eliakim the father of Azor, 14 and Azor the father of Zadok, and Zadok the father of Achim, and Achim the father of Eliud, 15 and Eliud the father of Eleazar, and Eleazar the father of Matthan, and Matthan the father of Jacob, 16 and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ.

17 So all the generations from Abraham to David were fourteen generations, and from David to the deportation to Babylon fourteen generations, and from the deportation to Babylon to the Christ fourteen generations.

18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child of the Holy Spirit; 19 and her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to send her away quietly. 20 But as he considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit; 21 she will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All this took place to fulfil what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:

23 “Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son,

and his name shall be called Emmanuel.”

(which means, God with us). 24 When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took his wife, 25 but knew her not until she had borne a son; and he called his name Jesus.

Notes

Byzantine Lectionary (Revised Julian) 12-18-2022: Sunday before Nativity or Sunday of the Fathers

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2022 | NATIVITY OF OUR LORD

Byzantine Lectionary (Revised Julian) 12-18-2022: Sunday before Nativity or Sunday of the Fathers

SUNDAY BEFORE NATIVITY OR SUNDAY OF THE FATHERS

Dark Vestments

Matins Gospel Luke 24:12–35 (27th Sunday)

Epistle Hebrews 11:9–10, 17–23, 32–40

Gospel Matthew 1:1–25

RED (for Orthodox)

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