Consider this

            “In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction” (2 Timothy 4:1-2).              “Preach the word” is not a phrase that goes over well with many people today.   If we have convinced ourselves that there is no “right” or “wrong” and that “everything is ok, as long as it is ok for you”, then “the word” really has nothing to say.               Oddly, “Preach the word” does not always go over much better in church settings either.   These days, church discussions often center more around things like presentation, programs and performance than they do on the word.   “How” we do things often overshadows the “why”.               In both cases, inside and outside the church, “Preach the word” can come across as a very “Old-fashion

            No one who takes the Bible seriously would say that parts of it are unnecessary.   After all, if it really is inspired, God must have had a reason for including the things that are in there.   Having said that, though, there certainly are some parts of the word that are “more interesting” or “less interesting” to read.               One of those “less interesting” sections is found at the start of Matthew’s gospel.   Here we find seventeen verses that include nothing but the names of 46 people who are in the lineage of Christ.   Some of the names are familiar (like Abraham, David and Joseph) and others are names that we do not know and can hardly pronounce (like “Abiud”).               It is tempting to skip the names and start reading at Matthew 1:18, but that would be a mistake.   We need that long list of names.   One reason for that is to remind us that God had a plan and that he keeps his promises.   It may take a long time, even many generations, but God