Census Results

Num 1:20-31         10/7/2017

Each man registered individually by name and lineage.

Today, I’m supposed to be taking my children to the old rural churchyard where five generations of my ancestors are buried.

I descended on my father’s side from a line that left Germany in the late 18th century. The line in America began with Anabaptist preachers, multiple generations of which had more than a dozen children. Those who survived childhood had the habit of living remarkably long lives.

In our time, it’s easy to think that your ancestors don’t matter very much. But the truth is, they matter more than we think.

The ancient Greeks were fond of saying, “Know Thyself”. As a matter of experience, I find this challenging advice without some recourse to where I’ve come from.

My parents have affected my life. And their lives by their parents, and so on. The residue is there whether or not we’re inclined to believe.

For the ancients, knowing where you came from was tantamount to knowing who you were.

Jesus liked to use the idea of engrafting to describe our adoption into a new lineage – with the full idea of our adoptive lineage having the impact of our natural lineage.

You are a child of Abraham. Think about what that means.

Now, go out and make your fathers proud.