God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth . . . to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. (Luke 1:26–27)
Expanded Passage: Luke 1:26-27
One of my direct ancestors, about six generations ago, was William McClung, one of the first settlers in what is now Greenbrier County, West Virginia. He and his wife Abigail staked a claim to property and settled in a log cabin. Because of the danger of Native American raids, Abigail and the children hid in a nearby swamp, while William worked the land. His rifle was always close at hand.
Later, he served with a group of Greenbrier militiamen to protect settlers from the warring Indians. Although they didn’t have uniforms, they wore the traditional hunting garb of the day: buckskin shirts and leggings, along with deerskin boots that came almost to the knees to protect from rattlesnake and copperhead bites. William later fought in the Revolutionary War.
All of us descended from people who paved the way for us to have a better life today.
Joseph’s ancestry was even more illustrious. He was a descendant of King David. Matthew, in chapter one of his biography of Jesus, gives the complete lineage from Abraham forward. Luke gives Mary’s ancestry in Luke 3 to show that she too descended from David and from the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
Nothing about Jesus’ birth was left to chance. His credentials were impeccable. You and I are blessed today because Jesus came at the right time to the right parents.
Give praise during this season for Jesus, our only Savior.
Ron McClung is a retired minister in The Wesleyan Church. He lives in Michigan and has two sons, two outstanding daughters-in-law, nine grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren.
© 2025 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission. Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.
