First Sunday in Advent: Running with Rahab

This is the record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. Abraham was the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, Judah the father of Perez and Zerah (by Tamar), Perez the father of Hezron, Hezron the father of Ram, Ram the father of Amminadab, Amminadab the father of Nahshon, Nahshon the father of Salmon, Salmon the father of Boaz (by Rahab), Boaz the father of Obed (by Ruth), Obed the father of Jesse, and Jesse the father of David the king. 

Matthew 1:1-6

She was running the race alone. Walking, truth be told. The dust rose around us like red clouds as the sun demanded everything come out of hiding. We were racing for inclusion: not in political parties, ideologies, or privilege, but value. 

Ubuntu Life, a center for children with special needs in the Rift Valley of Kenya, seeks to ensure that every person is valued, seen, and known. They are making this a reality for boys and girls with disabilities and the people who love them, and the annual 5 K and 10K races are one way they do so. 

Compulsively, I grabbed Rahab’s hand and said, “Let’s run together!” For the next 5 kilometers, that’s what we did.

With each sweltering step, we shared our stories, and in the process, became part of each other’s. Rahab goes to a girls’ school and has just finished her 9th year. She is a grateful beneficiary of Compassion International, and described the joyful day her sponsor visited her and her family.  Rahab loves to sing and intends to be a Kiswahili teacher one day. We discovered we both didn’t have fathers and were raised by strong mothers. We learned that we both had been given a gift of faith to make our way through the darkness. By the time we crossed the finish line hand in hand, we understood that we were part of a Greater Story written by the Greatest Author. I’m not sure if our eyes were shining more with sweat, exertion, or the sheer joy of being valued, seen, and known. 

This is the beauty of journeying together. We become part of the Great Story, the one the Author and Finisher of our faith had in mind when two spies thought it was a great undercover operation to hide out in the house of a prostitute named Rahab.

The Christmas Story is woven with thousands of short stories written in the lives of people like Rahab of Jericho and Rahab of Kenya, running life’s race while harboring hope for more in their hearts. Jesus’ great (to the 16th) grandmother had no idea that one day, she would be listed in the heritage of the Messiah.

I wonder about my little faith-filled Rahab running beside me on an African trail in rubber slides. What story is the Author writing in her lineage? Her faith shone brighter than the sun yesterday. Bright enough to span the generations to come.

I do know that Christmas is about stories. Yours, mine, and every Rahab’s. What story are you reading this Christmas?

Dear Author and Finisher of our faith story, thank You for including Rahab and me in Your story. Amen.

@audreycfrank