A Prayer for Sunday, January 2, 2011

“By Grace through Faith”

Matthew’s genealogy of Jesus is remarkable in that it includes the names of some of the women who were in Jesus’ family tree and in that all the women it names became branches on that tree in rather interesting ways; indeed, those women were people over whom some—maybe many—people in their day would have and some—maybe many—people in our day would stand in judgment.

One could of course say the same thing about many—if not most or even all—of the men in the tree as well.

And one could of course say the same thing about all of us who have been grafted on to Jesus’ family tree.

Thank you, God, for your grace; thank you, God, for our faith.

Thank you that while sanctification is our goal perfection is not required.

Thank you for the remarkable ways in which you include even us in your story of salvation.

Help us not to stand in judgment over others or over ourselves but help us rather to celebrate the working of your amazing grace in us all.

Amen.

“And Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar…and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth…and David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah…” (Matthew 1:3, 5-6).