Luke 3 vv 23-24: Jesus was about thirty years old when he began his public ministry. Jesus was known as the son of Joseph. Joseph was the son of Heli. Heli was the son of Matthat. Matthat was the son of Levi. Levi was the son of Melki. Melki was the son of Jannai. Jannai was the son of Joseph.
While preparing for a carol service this coming Sunday, I was looking at Jesus' 'family tree', and noticed the name of Heli. Heli was the father of Joseph, and presumably prepared the way for Jesus himself by passing on the story of faith to his children. Heli is as important in this genealogy as king David!
Perhaps it's more important simply to pass on what we know about God than it is to do something impressive. If Heli had not passed on his faith to his son, Joseph would not have had the faith to trust that God was doing something new and wonderful. And if we do not pass on our faith, our Christian family tree will die with us …
Those of us in the established churches who look for something new to emerge could do worse than take Heli as a model and example ... or Matthat, or Levi, or Melki, or Jannai ...
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