Whose Family Do I Belong to?

My daughter, Mary, gave me the gift of an “Ancestry.com” kit for Christmas. Using this tool has been an interesting discovery into the history of our family. I knew I was of German ancestry. Through a DNA test I also found out that I have about an equal amount of Scottish blood in me. As the online program searches public records, grave stones, and pictures, I found that my family on my father’s side immigrated from Germany, primarily from around Hannover, in the mid 1800’s. But, my dad’s ancestors also include those from Poland and from Switzerland. On my mother’s side, some of the family came to America from Ireland, England, and Scotland. But, going back 5 generations, some of my mom’s family were in America in as early as the 1700’s. I also discovered that family dynamics are not only difficult in our day and time. My ancestors also faced untimely death, divorce, and other challenges. I knew some of these facts, but I am learning even more as this computer program helps me to dig deeper.

I had another surprise, I did not expect to find many others doing similar research including some of the same people in my family. Family trees extend a long way. Some of these fellow genealogy searchers I recognize. But most I do not know. It seems to me that there is an increase of interest in our family histories in recent years.

Did you know that genealogy is not a new phenomenon? Scripture is full of such lists. The first one I know of shows up in Genesis 5, listing a line descendants from Adam down to Noah. But, Ruth 4 gives us a short genealogy showing that Ruth was the great grandmother of King David. There are many other genealogies in the Old Testament, and both Matthew (Matthew 1:1-17, and Luke (Luke 3:23-38) give us the family line of Jesus.

Following genealogical records can be confusing. Sometimes birth records, and death certificates, marriage records and gravestones list the same dates, but the names are different, yet similar. Likewise, Matthew traces Jesus’ heritage back to Abraham. On the other hand, Luke follows Jesus’ line all the way through Adam, to God. Therefore, according to Luke, Jesus is the Son of God by flesh. Yet, according to John 1, and John 3, Jesus was “with God” in the beginning. He is the “only begotten Son” (John 3:16) of God!

This heritage of Jesus is important to us! As a man, born of Mary, Jesus kept God’s law for us, suffered and died to pay for our sins, and rose to win victory over sin, death, and judgment. As God, Jesus’ life shouts to us the love of God, that our Heavenly Father sent His ‘only begotten Son’, to save us. As God, Jesus was able to accomplish our salvation by doing what sinful and weak human beings cannot accomplish.

This Sunday, June 4, at St. John, there are ways in which our family celebrates our heritage. After late worship, at 12:30 p.m., we will dedicate the St. John Lutheran Pavilion. The pavilion is named “The St. John Pavilion” because it belongs to this congregation to be used for the glory of God. However, the pavilion is dedicated to my dad, Robert E. Rockey, who gave the funds which were used to build this tool for ministry.

In many ways my dad was a simple, if faithful man. He worked as an electrical engineer. However, his life showed faith in God and love for his wife and children. I often heard our pastor in Florida say that my dad had served in every office at First Lutheran in Gainesville. And, my dad’s life and love lives on in his children and grandchildren and others. Three of his children served as professional church workers. As his oldest son, I served as full-time pastor for over 40 years, 28 of which were at St. John. His son, Stephen, served as an LCMS teacher and principal for 20 years. Our youngest sibling, James, has served as a pastor for 25 years, and is now District President for the Florida-Georgia District. In addition, my dad’s only daughter, Martha, has served as congregational president in her small Lutheran church, Good Shepherd Lutheran in Chiefland, FL. Actually, she has served about as long as congregational president as some of her brothers served as professional church workers.

You see, I observed that my dad would have traced his lineage and ancestry like Jesus did, all the way back through Adam, to God. My dad saw himself as a sinner, called to God’s grace to forgiveness and life in Jesus. My dad lived by grace as a “child of God.”

Have you thought about your ancestry? Do you realize that, from the beginning, you are a child of our Heavenly Father? Does your godly heritage show in your faith and life?