My ancestor was a fellow named Conraad Martense Hooghteeling. He came on a boat from the Netherlands in about 1635. He was (we think) an indentured servant that worked for the land owner Kiliaen Van Rensselaer in the New Netherlands settlements. He married a woman named Maria Hendrikse Marselis and they had eight children, thus starting the Hotaling clan in the New World. He was my ninth great grandfather.
Alex Haley's novel Roots was published in 1976, and the subsequent television mini-series aired a year later to rave reviews. One of the results of Roots was a surge in the interest and research of geneology and ancestry. We discovered culturally that we have a need to know where we came from, who are people were, and by knowing about the lives of our ancestors, we know more about our own lives. Our roots matter.
I had lunch the other day with a friend who has spent most of his life in Ranson and Charles Town. His people have been in Jefferson County for generations. My friend is integrated into his community, and he willingly shares his life with that community. His roots are here. He knows who he is, and he is comfortable with that.
I confess to a small amount of envy to those who are deeply rooted in community, who are content with a sense of place. My life has been more of a tumbleweed existence, a rolling stone. I have enjoyed the adventure of seeing new places and learning new cultures, and I cherish the memories and friends of the many places I have lived. But I cannot say that I am deeply rooted in place.
That is beginning to change. Charles Town is beginning to feel like home, and our community of faith is beginning to feel like family. I feel like my roots are taking hold and growing in, and I believe I will stay a while. My wife and I have finally bought a home in Charles Town, and we are planning to be here for as long as we are able.
Regardless of the depth of our roots in this place, no matter where we or our people came from originally, the word family truly describes the church and community of faith. We are brothers and sisters in Christ and, spiritually speaking, we come from common stock. We are adopted into the family of God, we are given a new place in a new family, and we belong to one another by common faith in an uncommon God. Our heritage comes from a brave and courageous Man who revolutionized the world's understanding of God and His love.
Romans 8:14-17 tells us For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, "Abba, Father." The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs — heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ...
We belong to God, and we belong to one another. We have a rich and glorious heritage in this family, and our future is bright. Just as knowing the heritage and ancestry of our people gives us a sense of identity in community, knowing who we belong to as Christians helps us understand who we are in Christ. It grounds our faith and gives us depth as the people of God. As we identify with Christ and His people, our own identities are formed and strengthened.
John writes But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. John 1:12-13
May you be deeply rooted in Christ. And may you walk boldly as a child of the King.
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