Pam's Perambulation

Luke 3:21-38 (CEV)

The Baptism of Jesus

²¹ While everyone else was being baptized, Jesus himself was baptized. Then as he prayed, the sky opened up, ²² and the Holy Spirit came down upon him in the form of a dove. A voice from heaven said, “You are my own dear Son, and I am pleased with you.”

I, Davezelenka [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html), CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/) via Wikimedia Commons

The Ancestors of Jesus

²³ When Jesus began to preach, he was about thirty years old. Everyone thought he was the son of Joseph. But his family went back through Heli, ²⁴ Matthat, Levi, Melchi, Jannai, Joseph, ²⁵ Mattathias, Amos, Nahum, Esli, Naggai, ²⁶ Maath, Mattathias, Semein, Josech, Joda;

²⁷ Joanan, Rhesa, Zerubbabel, Shealtiel, Neri, ²⁸ Melchi, Addi, Cosam, Elmadam, Er, ²⁹ Joshua, Eliezer, Jorim, Matthat, Levi;

³⁰ Simeon, Judah, Joseph, Jonam, Eliakim, ³¹ Melea, Menna, Mattatha, Nathan, David, ³² Jesse, Obed, Boaz, Salmon, Nahshon;

³³ Amminadab, Admin, Arni, Hezron, Perez, Judah, ³⁴ Jacob, Isaac, Abraham, Terah, Nahor, ³⁵ Serug, Reu, Peleg, Eber, Shelah;

³⁶ Cainan, Arphaxad, Shem, Noah, Lamech, ³⁷ Methuselah, Enoch, Jared, Mahalaleel, Kenan, ³⁸ Enosh, and Seth.

The family of Jesus went all the way back to Adam and then to God.

If ever there was proof that Jesus was one of us…

Jesus joins in, he is baptised.  He doesn’t sit and watch others do it, he takes part too.  He joins with what they are doing.

And then we have his ancestry, his family line.  This is where Jesus has come from, who he is.

If ever there was proof that Jesus was God…

At his baptism the public recognition, a statement by God,

This is my own dear son

And in his family line, traceable “All the way back to Adam,

And then to God

This is no upstart, no charlatan, no fly-by-night imposter.  This is God, here, living with us, in a human form.

God was, and is, one of us.  Living the life we live, showing us his way to do it.

When we wonder at things, and wonder what God would do, we can look at Jesus and his life.  When we ask, but what if God were here – he is.  Here for each and every one of us, here with each one of us, in the lives that we lead day by day.  His presence is woven through the history of humanity, and it is woven through our history.

Jesus brings God to it, brings

wholeness, healing and completeness (p27)

What if God Were One of Us?

Thank You God,
for being One of Us,
coming to the world,
showing us your ways
in the life of Jesus.

Thank you for being willing to become like us
that we might see and understand
what your ways are.

Help me
to follow your example,
to learn to live your ways,