Genealogy

Genealogy: A really really really long list of names, indicating the lineage of a person or people group.
I highly doubt anyone's first instinct is to turn to a genealogy in the Bible.  And let's be honest, how many of us have totally skimmed or skipped over them?  Guilty.
Last night I was video-chatting my dear friend, and we finally had the time to start our Bible study on Matthew.  Of course the first 17 verses record the genealogy of Christ. [Strongly encourage you to read it].
So at first glance, you see that are many names.  And you underline a few that you recognize and maybe put a question mark over the really bizarre names like Jechoniah and Shealtiel.
The listing of all these names is really so important.  Matthew wrote his book with the Jews in mind.  The Jewish people cherished their history so much.  They had studied the Torah and the teachings of old.  They knew the stories of the giants of the faith.  Matthew establishes that Jesus did not come out of thin air.  He had a specific heritage.  This gives him credibility and honor in the eyes of the Jews.
As you read, you notice that there are four women listed as well (5 including Mary, but we will get to her later.) Gen. 38:6-30)
Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and the wife of Uriah (Bathsheba)...
All these women have unique stories.  And would hardly be expected to be in the line of Christ save his grace in each of their stories.
Tamar (the mother of Perez from Gen. 38:6-30, not Absalom's sister from 2 Samuel 13)
Tamar was a Cannanite who married the son of Judah whose name was Er.  After Er's death, she marries Onan, who refuses to impregnate her since doing so would perpetuate the line of Er instead of his own.  And when she is supposed to marry the youngest son, Shelah, according to law; his father Judah makes her wait for Shelah to grow up.  Even after he has grown up, Judah still does not give him to her so she exchanges her widow's garments for the veil of a prostitute.  She deceives Judah and  conceives twins by him.  This is an unpleasant story to say the least, but Tamar and her father-in-law Judah carry on the lineage that becomes Christ's.
Rahab (Joshua 2, 6:22-25)
Rahab was a Gentile woman in the city of Jericho and a known prostitute.  However, she safely harbors two Israelite spies because she had heard of the mighty works of the God of Israel, and trusted in Him.  Her faith earns her protection of herself and her family.  She even becomes the mother of Boaz by Salmon.
Ruth (the book of Ruth)
Ruth is certainly an honorable woman, but still a Moabite.  She proves her faithfulness to the God of Naomi by following her mother-in-law back to Bethlehem, a Jewish city.  Ruth is redeemed by Boaz, after a potentially vulnerable situation at the threshing floor.  She maintains her morality and is the mother of Obed, the grandfather of David.  Even "in the days when the judges ruled" and "everyone did what was right in his own eyes," a Moabite woman demonstrates her faithfulness to God [Ruth 1:1; Judges 21:25]
Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11)
Bathsheba is only called the wife of Uriah in the genealogy.  This is probably to remind the Jews of the sins committed by David.  Bathsheba was the wife of the Hittite, so perhaps she was also a Gentile.  David desired her as his own and she conceived a son by him.  To cover up his tracks, he killed her husband by placing him in the front lines of the battlefield.  Bathsheba has shame surrounding her story, she even had the tragedy of losing her first son.  However, God still has her birth the future King Solomon, yet another father in the lineage of Christ.
And finally we get to Mary:
To everyone's eyes she had been unfaithful to her betrothed Joseph.  But on the contrary, she was called on because of her faithfulness..because He desired to use her to be the mother of Jesus by the Holy Spirit.  She brings honor to the women of her past.  Joseph redeems her from her shame by marrying on the prompting of the angel Gabriel.  As each woman is grafted into the lineage of Christ, they regain their honor and have a new beginning in Him.  The foreign, Gentile women become daughters of God.  And even the ugliest of sins are made beautiful through the grace and blood of Christ.  And how different are we than these women, if it were not for the grace of God?
The imperfections and sins present in the lives of Tamar, Rahab, and Bathsheba all show the fallen world's perversion of marriage and reproduction.
The story of Ruth and Boaz foreshadow more clearly the beauty of marriage and the joy of having a child who continues a legacy.
Mary and Joseph's union further demonstrates this with the birth of Jesus by the Holy Spirit.
And Jesus is the one who dies and rises again in order to redeem His bride.
The church that is imperfect and filthy in sin without Him, becomes new again and receives an everlasting bond with Him.  A perfect relationship unmarred by the flesh.

Steward

Steward: overseer of a household in the master’s stead.  Quite an important job.   I was thinking of writing on this topic since Tuesday but today my interest was further peaked by a conversation I had with my mom and sister by the pool.  We were discussing love languages, theirs being serving and verbal/thoughtful sentiments respectively, and mine being up to debate.  We finally decided that my love language is to make people happy and comfortable.  Hey even my friends have lovingly dubbed me “Mom”  because I oversee the plans and watch out for those in my “family” [there may be some other not so great reasons but we won’t discuss those].  So in light of these events, I circled back to my previous study on the use of the word steward in the Bible.  Oiokonomos [Greek], according to Strong’s Concordance, means the manager of a household, a guardian.  Also, a steward was often formerly a slave who had been freed but continued caring for the household in a different position.  [see the parallels already? either way, keep reading].  My quest for the relevance of this word started when I was rereading Ephesians 3.  “For this reason, I Paul, a prisoner for Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles—assuming that you have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace that was given to me for you, how the mystery was made known to me by revelation.”  So here, Paul has been entrusted with the responsibility to share the grace of God by proclaiming the gospel.  Paul gives various analogies as related to us and God, and us being God’s stewards on earth until the master returns is one of them.
In the Old Testament, the word steward is used in a literal sense.  Different rulers and kings have stewards that they command.  The change in the New Testament is that we are now the stewards.
These are a few short notes that I took on each of the following references..in context of course.
1 Cor. 9:17
preach the gospel, and when it is not our will we are “still entrusted with a stewardship”
1 Tim 1:4
stewardship from God that is by faith, and “the aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart, and a good conscience and a sincere faith”
Titus 1:7
talks of the qualities of an overseer, or steward, of the church, “not be arrogant or quick tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain”
1 Peter 4:10
“As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another—as good stewards of God’s varied grace,” so we all have different gifts of stewardship
All these passages filled out my view of stewardship and how vital it is in the Body of Christ.  We are His entrusted stewards sharing the Good News and preparing the household for the return of the Master.  

Spiritual Warfare

Spiritual Warfare...what is it exactly?  I doubt I can answer that question effectively, but here goes.  I turned to Ephesians 6 after reading about countries where people have a strong desire to explore the supernatural through horoscopes, palmistry, divination, and even through sacrifices to gods.  Strong ties to ancestors and ancestor worship are present in many cultures.  But the power of demonic spirits is so often overlooked in the world of Christianity.  Most have heard Ephesians 6:10-20, and often the armor of God is portrayed rather cheesily.  But this passage acknowledges the existence of evil forces.  Every time I read this passage, I am taken back to teaching this at Good News Club.  I had 5 kindergarteners at my table, and we had sign language to go with each verse.  But how could we fully explain that to 5 year olds?  It's something that my mind doesn't even fully grasp at 20.  But I certainly don't think that means that we shouldn't teach it to children.  They should know in a developmentally appropriate way that there is such a thing as spiritual darkness.  This darkness can slip in so slowly.  Through books and movies..and who doesn't like a good show with some harmless magic in it?  Its hard to draw a line sometimes.  I certainly don't know where to tell you to..is Lord of the Rings okay because its very much an allegory?  And Harry Potter because it has overarching themes of good vs. evil?  Just some questions to raise.
As I approached the end of the passage, I was reminded of some very amazing truths.  I was just thinking to myself, "How can I even make a difference when the cultures in which these supernatural explorations are so prevalent..in nations where I would stick out and not know the language?"
As Paul closes out his letter he asks for the people to pray.  "And also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak" [Eph. 6:19-20].
It's Christ who speaks through us.  Whether in supernatural gift of the language or other forms of communication.  He SPEAKS.  I am a vessel, an ambassador in chains.

Mary Poppins

Mary Poppins: a Disney film made in 1964 starring Julie Andrews, Dick Van Dyke, and David Tomlinson.  This movie has been a favorite of mine since childhood.  I have always loved the character Mary Poppins; I remember buying a Mary Poppins doll at Disney World.  She was so cool because she sang, knew Bert, and took the children on adventures.  That’s what I remember loving.  But after watching the movie today, as a twenty year old, I realized there are many layers to the story.  The social commentary is so insightful.  Yes, it is set in 1910 [although the original books were set in the 1930’s], but there are commonalities between now and then.  The reason Mary Poppins comes is to restore the family bond between father, mother, and children.  She does so by allowing the children to go places and feeding their imaginations with a chalk drawing picture and laughing so hard that they float up to the ceiling.  During her interview [which is more her making the decision than Mr. Banks], she says she has a cheery disposition and is “kind but extremely firm.”  I like that discipline.  She is warm and she is there for the children.  However, her purpose is to have the family, especially the father, realize his role.  Throughout the movie, he is continuously perplexed by her methods and often outraged, but in the end he realizes what is important.  

So how is this like today? Yeah, most people do not hire out nannies to take care of their children, but they sure do drop them off at daycare.  I love children, and I have had my fair share of jobs where I take care of children, but it always makes my heart strings ache when they are far away from their parents for so long.  I will give them the care and affection they need and more, but I will never replace that family bond.  Mary Poppins knows that too; she leaves when the family is together again, when they have that happiness and love that she has exuded the whole time.  In a way, there is no place for her.  She always has to move on.  When she is packing the children ask her, “Don’t you love us?” and she replies “What would happen if I loved all the children I said goodbye to?”  However, we all know that she truly does love the children and knows what is best for them.  I can relate to that feeling.  I have interacted with so many children and loved every single one of them, but I’ve had to move on myself in life.  I am pretty sure that the remainder of my life will be working with children and their parents to bring their families back together.  It is bittersweet to be a part of, but I know that God gives me the love for it, and He overflows out of me.  I guess that’s the difference between Mary Poppins and me. 

The Michaela Philosophy

Philosophy is “the love or pursuit of wisdom; the study or the science of the truths or principles underlying all knowledge,” according to the GIANT copy of the Living Webster Encyclopedic Dictionary of the English Language that is only used in our house when we are playing Boggle or Scrabble [both of which my older sister always beats me in without the use of a dictionary..so why even try, right?].  Well, certainly this blog doesn’t aim to create  a new philosophy where I am at the center of all knowledge which may be contrary to your initial assumption of the title.  It’s more about what makes me tick..how I think and what I believe and how that influences everything I do.  I hope to give you snapshots into my random ah-ha moments so that you can share in my experiences.