Sunday, February 28, 2010
Who do you think you are?
The series on TV called "Who do you think you are?", where famous people trace their ancestors, has proved to be so interesting that it may be one of the reasons why there is now an upsurge in many folk doing the same. The increasing number of websites where you can search for information on family history certainly bears witness to this.
When I cleared out my mother's house I came across birth, marriage and death certificates of parents and grandparents and this has given us a starting point in what is proving to be a very absorbing interest.
I'm looking forward to turning up a few skeletons in the cupboard but so far the most unusual thing we have discovered is that my great uncle, who fought in the First World War, returned home wounded, having been shot in the buttocks. We found this amusing but I'm sure he didn't! And no, his name wasn't Forrest Gump. When he returned to the front he was wounded again and taken prisoner but received good treatment from the German doctors and, unlike many of his comrades, eventually returned home at the end of the war.
To my amazement I have found there is a real sense of being connected to these relatives that I have never met but far more important than knowinq where we have come from is knowinq where we are going to. Although belonqinq to an earthly family is great (most of the time) it is important to be part of the family of God.
Right at the beginning of John's Gospel we are told how this can happen:
" to all who received him (Jesus), to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God."
So perhaps the question we should be asking is not "Who do you think you are?" but:
"Who do you think Jesus is?"
Christians believe that Jesus is the Son of God, one part of the Trinity, and through him we have access to God the Father. He demonstrated God's deep love for mankind throughout his life and particularly in his death.
This period of Lent is an ideal time to reflect on these truths in the lead up to Easter and to consider what it cost Jesus to make us members of the family of God.
May God bless and guide our thoughts throughout Lent so that we may be drawn closer to Him and to each other.
Gillian Gilbert