December 23rd

“So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David to the deportation to Babylon, fourteen generations; and from the deportation to Babylon to the Messiah, fourteen generations.” Matthew 1:17

are you serious
or just delirious, God?
the powerful who let
their privilege seduce them,
those whose names simply
slid into the dust of forgetfulness?
the generations who were
so skilled at remembering you
and those whose promises
to the poor kept being lost?
those who thought the prophets
were simply blowing smoke,
and those who struggled to hear
God’s voice in the silence of exile
and whose prayers seemed like
letters returned unopened?
these are the ones whose DNA
crafts the soul of the One those
42 generations had longed to see?
yet
this is how the story goes—
step by step
name by name
mistake by mistake
ordinary life by ordinary life
until love takes that first breath
in a family tree whose branches
are invited to make room
for grace to grow.

© 2025 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman