Advent 15 – Asa

My dad’s brother married my mom’s sister. Two brothers married two sisters. I know it sounds a bit weird, but upon closer inspection it’s not quite as weird as it appears, and as a result, I have some super-cousins (I’ve coined this original term), connected both on my father’s side of the family and my mother’s side of the family.

Interestingly enough, I get comments about how I look more like one of my cousins than my own brothers. Granted, I’m not sure which parent I more closely resemble in appearance. Growing up I heard the phrase (which, I’m sure you’ve heard, as well), “You’re just like your father,” and “you remind me so much of your mother.” How much does our lineage affect us? How much agency do we truly have to break the cycle and choose a more hopeful, peaceful, loving future?

Past is prologue. Your DNA is your destiny. These are a couple of the phrases that come to mind when we have conversations about family. Are these phrases true?

Asa became king of Judah after the short three-year tenure of his father, Abijah, who became king after Asa’s grandfather, Rehoboam. Both Rehoboam and Abijah were evil kings who followed a pattern that started with Solomon, Asa’s great-grandfather. Under their rule, Judah descended toward idol worship, shrine prostitution, setting up high places of worship, which included Asherah poles and sacred stones. This was the pattern that Asa was born into.

However, the reign of Asa teaches us that our DNA does not have to be our destiny. Asa chose a different path than his recent forebears. Asa “expelled the male shrine prostitutes from the land and got rid of all the idols his ancestors had made.” (1 Kings 15:12 NIV) And when his grandmother defied him and made “a repulsive image for the worship of Asherah,” (v. 13) he deposed her from her position as queen mother. How easy is it to go against grandmother? Not easy, under most circumstances.

Asa didn’t do absolutely everything he should have done. He did not remove the high places, for example. However, he made significant steps, through choices that bucked the pattern and broke the cycle of idol worship and defiance toward God. And, despite his shortcomings, the record states that “Asa’s heart was fully committed to the Lord all his life.” (v.14)

No matter where we come from, no matter what skeletons our closets may contain, no matter what issues we may have inherited, we can always choose a more hopeful, peaceful, and loving way.

During this Advent season, may you receive all of the resources, energy, and encouragement you need to make choices toward God, toward Christ, and toward Love.