Thought for Today
Genesis 37:2 This is the story of the family of Jacob . . .
Leviticus 25:10 And you shall hallow the fiftieth year and you shall proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you: you shall return, every one of you, to your property and every one of you to your family.
Luke 2:4 Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David.
Matthew 25:40 And the king will answer them, 'Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.'
“International Family Day is observed annually on May 15 to celebrate the importance of families and raise awareness of issues affecting them . . . International Family Day, also known as the International Day of Families, was proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in 1993 . . . “ (Copilot Search)
How do you define your family? Many of us ‘of an age’ probably define family in terms of our biological parents and siblings. We were raised during the early days of television and grew up watching The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, Father Knows Best and Leave It to Beaver. These were all shows centered around what today is described as a nuclear family. “A nuclear family is a household consisting of two parents and their children, forming the core social unit distinct from the extended or single-parent families.” (Copilot Search)
Many of the laws, customs, traditions and practices of Western civilization are based on and oriented around nuclear families as “the core social unit.” But, no one anywhere in our world lives today in the world of the middle decades of the last century. No one today copes with the same parenting issues as did the parents who were part of what is often called The Greatest Generation. Societies today have evolved from the societies of the 1940s – 1960s. Some of the evolution is resultant from technological innovations. Some from the ebbing and flowing social tides of our societies.
One of my favorite tropes is, “You never live in the world in which you were raised.” It is not an exaggeration to state that the world of 2026 is vastly different from the world of 1940. The world today is also vastly different from the world in which the UN created International Family Day in 1993. Is it reasonable to define family today the same way I did when I was raised? How do you define your family?
One of the themes I emphasize in my ministry and in my sermons is the idea of ‘family of faith.’ That idea has evolved from some of the verses I read in the Bible. Jesus said, “Matthew 12:50 For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother." When Jesus told the Parable of the King in Matthew 25, I believe the king’s response quoted above is God speaking about God’s family.
How do you define your family? Maybe more importantly for all Christians throughout Christendom, how does God define God’s family? Does God’s family include all of God’s children? How about the ones who do not even believe in God? Is God’s family restricted in any way shape or form?
Some believe that only those in their faith are truly members of God’s family. Some Christians would restrict God’s family to only include Christians. Some Christians restrict God’s family to only include others of their denomination. I believe that the more important question we all should ask ourselves is , “How does God define God’s family?”
Certainly God would include as family the race he chose among all the others, the Jews. Does that exclude Christians, Moslems, Buddhists and others? Irrespective of all of that, are there restrictions in terms of the degree to which anyone does the will of God? Does God’s family include both the righteous and the unrighteous?
We put restrictions on our own definition of family. Whether we think of nuclear family, extended family, blended family or any other family, we erect fences walling out all who do not fall within our definition of family. I do not believe our Creator God erects fences. I believe our God embraces all as his children and as his family. However, as is true in our own families, there are those whose thoughts, deeds and actions are unacceptable and in whom God is disappointed. All of us are still called to do ‘the will of Jesus’ Father.’
Stay safe, do God’s will, trust God,
Pastor Ray