Emphasis Preaching Journal

In small towns people frequently identify people by their family connections. You might hear something like: "Why that's Fred, you know he's Oscar's boy and Mary Alice's grandson." "Well, no wonder he's such a good carpenter. Oscar's daddy was about the best carpenter I've ever seen around these parts." We make all sorts of connections about who people are and which talents they might possess from knowing their lineage. People's characteristics point toward their family of origin. In a small town, knowledge of other relatives provides a context for better understanding the person and his/her story. We've learned how patterns of addiction and abuse frequently appear in a family generation after generation. Craftsmen frequently pass their skills and knowledge on to subsequent generations. Each of us provides evidence in our lives that point toward our roots and upbringing. Those clues might be cause for celebration or a reminder of personal tragedy. Either way they serve as signposts that direct attention to our family. Paul speaks of his place and role in the family of faith. He speaks of how the people of God point to God with the very texture of their lives. In his own life it has been God's own revelation of God's self that has brought Paul to his present vocation and predicament. Since the origins of this vocation are hidden in God, they, also through Paul, point the way to God.
-- Frye