My wife, Kims brother Mike, has been doing their family history. Her maiden name is Ruth, and for years she, our son Chuck and now Mike have been trying to link George Herman Babe Ruth with their family tree. Kim and Chuck were both unsuccessful; brother Mike is still working on it.
While he has not confirmed a relationship between Babe Ruth and their family, he has made an interesting discovery. Through my mother-in-laws family, the Adams, the family is related to George Armstrong Custer.
The one-time flamboyant Civil War general and the man who lost his life and command at the Little Big Horn is the 3rd cousin, 4th removed, from Kim, and the 3rd cousin, 5th removed, from our children, Matt and Chuck.
Now, I dont have a jealous bone in my body, but I was feeling a little left out of the genealogical celebration. Our Nofel and Murry family genealogy only goes back a couple of generations. Our family tree hits stone at Ellis Island where the family landed after emigrating from Lebanon.
So, feeling out of the loop, I started boasting, My family tree goes way, way back. I am a priest forever in the line of Melchizedek. (Psalm 110:4 and Hebrews 7:17)
Chapter 7 of the Book of Hebrews makes the wonderful argument that Jesus himself is the spiritual descendant of that mysterious Old Testament priest and king, Melchizedek. The Book of Hebrews draws the conclusion that Jesus, just like Melchizedek, made the great and perfect sacrifice to the Father, making us all saved children of God.
And the First Letter of John confirms our ancestry. For we all have the same family tree, for we are all children of God.
See what love the Father has given us that we should be called children of God; and that is what we are. (1 John 3:1).
So, we are all related. Like it our not, we are all brothers and sisters in the Lord. We are children of God, brothers with Jesus Christ.
As I read this to Kim, she said, I will take that relationship even over George Custer.
The Rev. Steve Nofel is co-pastor of Montezuma Valley Presbyterian Church.
