Allow me to tell you a story. Let us go back to 1437, in Scotland. The reigning king was James I (of Scotland, not to be confused with King James I of England, who authorized the King James Bible, who also happened to be King James VI of Scotland. Confusing, I know). As with most kings, James had enemies, men who contested the legitimacy of his kingship. Perhaps more important was James’ desire to clean the Scotland streets of corruption and greed. Those leading the corruption were not too keen of the King’s interest in a reformed Scotland. His time was short, and ultimately came one night while the King was staying in Perth, Scotland. A group of assailants attacked James, and he escaped into the sewer. Unfortunately for him, the sewers had been blocked up days earlier (a rather humorous tale reserved for another time). The assassins caught up with him, and did what assassins do. They escaped the castle, and fled into the night, confident that nobody saw them.

But somebody did see. Enter Robert Riach, chief of Clan Donnachaidh (pronounced Donna-Kee). [Sidenote: Robert was a descendant of King Duncan I of Scotland (from Macbeth fame).] Robert Riach saw the assassins leave, and immediately chased after them with some of his men. After days of searching, Robert finally apprehended them, and brought them back alive to Scottish authorities. The assassins were quickly tortured and executed. Shortly thereafter King James II ascended to the throne, and as a token of thanks for Robert’s bravery, James II gave Robert and his clan authority over the land of Struan and Perthshire. Amongst those in Clan Donnachaidh, Robert Riach was a hero. He was so esteemed that his descendants were named in his honor, known as the “sons of Robert”, the Robertsons.

I am proud to say that I am Matt Robertson, the great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-grandson of Robert Riach. I am a direct descendant of him, and proud to be a member of Clan Donnachaidh, even though I am American.

Clan is Important

Each individual has a number of different distinctions: ethnicity, country, clan, region, and less topographical distinctions, like sex, career, etc. Throughout human history, these distinctions have been thought important. They are right. Unfortunately these distinctions have been overemphasized, such as one country slaughtering another to claim its land. Terrible things have been done to people based on nothing more than the color of someone’s skin. The Church has also deemphasized the importance of these distinctions. While this lack of emphasis highlights an important truth, some overextend this as well, suggesting that our earthly distinctions are of no importance at all. I believe that these earthly distinctions are something to be proud of. It is okay to enjoy being an American, or an African, or Japanese, or a man, or a woman. One never needs to apologize for the color of their skin, or for the country of their heritage.

This leads us to denounce another unfortunate problem with heritage pride. Many have historically viewed their ethnicity or nationality or sex as superior to others. This is preposterous. We are fallen, bloodlines and all. The pride one has in these earthly distinctions must be grounded not in the notion that their line is better than others, but that it is theirs.

These earthly distinctions give to us different traditions. The country we were born in, the country of our heritage, the families we are a part of, all these things have given us traditions that we can profit from (or drop). Of course, not all traditions are equal, and some are downright sinful (certain traditions from Corinth come to mind, as well as some practices of early America fought for by the Confederacy).

Something I find interesting is that the American experiment was once called “The Great Melting Pot”. The New World was a land where Polish, Brits, Scotsmen, and others could live together, drop their traditions, and become simply Americans. To an extent, this has worked. How many in America have no idea about their heritage? How many have no interest? I’m an American, and I can attest to hearing many say “I don’t know my heritage.” What is interesting is that it is often followed up with, “But I kind of wish I did.”

Yet the American experiment has not melted its people completely. While there are those described above, many others know exactly from where they came. Go to Chicago, and you will see Hispanic sections of the city, Asian sections, Polish sections. For all the fire America put its people through to melt us together, there is a lot of solidly African, solidly Jewish, solidly Irish. While everyone is “a little Irish” on St. Patrick’s Day, the truly Irish are very proud of their heritage on March 17 (And since my ancestors came to Scotland from Ireland, that includes me too).

That’s a good thing. Embrace your heritage. We all do. Wear your heritage. Maybe you already do.

Maybe you wear your heritage as a flag on your back. Maybe you wear it as a garment wrapped around you. Maybe you wear unhealthy levels of red, white, and blue one day of the year while you watch fireworks. If not, start. Heritage is a blessing from God, not a question on a census to apologize for.

History

Our heritage has given us more than traditions. We have inherited from our fathers and mothers who went before us a history, and a name. It tells us what our people went through. How many Psalms tell us the story of the Israelite people? They were written for those to come later. For some of us, we want to know about the wars our fathers have participated in. The things they have done.

I have spoken already about Robert Riach. His great-great-great-great-grandson was William Robertson. William Robertson was born in Muirton, Scotland. Sometime in the 1600s, William boarded a ship, and traveled to the New World, settling in Virginia.

William’s great-great-grandson was Richard Robertson, born in 1738. Richard was a Private in the Revolutionary War. He survived.

Richard’s great-grandson was Greenville Robertson. He moved the family from Virginia to Kentucky. In addition, he was a Corporal in the Civil War (at this point I am not sure which side he fought on). He survived.

Greenville’s great-great-grandson was Earl Robertson. He left Kentucky for a time to live in Missouri. He was my father.

I have inherited this story from my ancestors. If the Lord tarries, I will add to it and my descendants will tell of my adventures. We all have inherited a family history, and that isn’t something to ignore or apologize for (of course, those in our histories have done terrible things and we must denounce them, but that doesn’t mean we ignore our history).

Christ is Greater

Yet, the truth is that we are more than our genealogies, more than our histories. Heritage is great, but it is not enough. As real as our earthly distinctions are, compared to our heavenly, eternal distinctions they are illusions. Eternally speaking, things are much simpler. You have one category, and only two options. One option is that you are in Adam. You are counted under Adam’s headship, and subject to the condemnation Adam earned for all his posterity by his disobedience. The other option is that you are in Christ. You are counted under Christ’s headship, and subject to the glorification Christ earned for all His posterity by His obedience (See Romans 5:12-21). These are the only two options. Praise be to God on high, I am in Christ. As a spiritual descendant of Abraham by faith (see Galatians 3:7), I have a better genealogy. As a son of God (see John 1:12) I have a greater history. The land I will reign over (see 2 Timothy 2:12; Revelation 5:10) is far greater than Struan and Perthshire reigned over by my ancestors. Don’t let this cause you to ignore your earthly distinctions; rather, look at them in the proper perspective. Our earthly distinctions are not without honor, not without pride. But they are secondary. First and foremost, either we are in Adam, or we are in Christ. Come to Christ, and see yourself as a Christian, proud of your heritage. I am an American, enjoying the blessings God has given to this country. I am proud of my Scots-Irish heritage, and I wear the kilt with honor. But as much as I long to go to Scotland, my heart yearns much more for the Scotland above, The Kingdom of Zion, The Kingdom of God.

Note: My focus on my Scottish heritage is not at all meant to minimize other aspects of my genealogy. I am thankful and proud for my German heritage through my mother. However, my personal opinion is that one’s most important heritage is the one that is direct and participatory. By “direct” I mean one relational form, down through generations (as opposed to involving cousins, in-laws, etc.). By “participatory” I mean that the individual themselves participates in that direct line. Therefore, the most important heritage for a man is his paternal line, and a woman’s most important heritage is her maternal line. Because I am a man, I cannot participate in my mother’s maternal line, while I can participate in my father’s paternal line.