Hebrews 2:11 tells us that “Both the one who makes men holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers.” It’s very simple: the church is family. God is our Father; Jesus is our brother; and the Christians around us are our brothers and sisters as well.
I understand, however, that some people aren’t all that wild about the idea of the church being family. Some people have or have had bad family experiences. Contrary to the bumper sticker wisdom, there isn’t a lot of fun in dysfunction. And if we’re honest, there are times when our church family is dysfunctional, too. So, for some, thinking of the church as family might not be a positive thing. But we have to change that.
It’s one of my goals for this new year to help this body of believers to become more like a family. We have a good start; as far as I’m concerned, we are family. But there’s more we need to do. Most of the work shouldn’t involve new programs, but all of it requires some new thinking.
Younger folks need to interact with older folks, and older folks need to interact with younger folks. That is going to require thinking about mutual respect and concern. It’s going to require all of us reaching out to each other and offering tangible help when it’s needed. It’s going to require humility. It’s going to require patience—probably a lot of patience. It’s going to require all of us getting involved to do the work that has to be done, from cooking and cleaning to teaching and leading. Ultimately, it’s going to require a lot of love.
I believe we’re up to the challenge. We have a loving Father who has given us all we need to get the job done and a loving Brother who has set the example. Let’s work together to be the family God wants us to be.