From the Pastor |
Most people can agree that family is important. How we treat our family members really does matter, just as it matters how they treat us.
But sometimes we get so wrapped up in our own lives, wants, dislikes… we forget how we should treat our families. And we all have some kind of family. Those whom we love dearly and get along with very well… others… not so much! Sometimes our closest family isn’t even those we are related to. As we heard in the Gospel reading, today Jesus’ asks a very strange question about his own family: “Who is my mother? And who are my brothers?” I mean… Jesus Mary’s son… he was raised by her and lived with his family in Nazareth for 30 years. Why claim to not know his mother and brothers? Did he have a sudden case of amnesia? Seems awfully disrespectful, doesn’t it? I’m 49 and I would still get in trouble if I ignored my mom that way. But as usual… Jesus is teaching an important lesson. Jesus had been going throughout the land preaching and teaching… healing the sick and arguing with the Pharisees. He preaches the kingdom of heaven and all that entails and honestly, some of his teachings were very hard to listen to. These are not always words the people wanted to hear. Earlier in Chapter 12, the religious leaders were condemning him and his disciples for breaking the law of the Sabbath. They accuse him of serving Beelzebub instead of God, saying this was where his power to expel demons came from. Through it all, Jesus just kept making them look bad… and as a result “the Pharisees went out and plotted how they might kill Jesus.” Vs. 14 To top it off, everyday large crowds were following Jesus… he was kept so busy that scripture tells us that he doesn’t even have time to eat. His ministry is going full force but it is full of conflict and danger! In the parallel of today’s story, Mark’s Gospel tells us that Jesus’ family had heard of all that was going on and “they went to take charge of him, for they said, “He is out of his mind.”” [Mark 3:21] Jesus’ mother, Mary, and his family did not fully understand the extent of Jesus’ mission… they were not there to support his ministry… but to try and stop it. Although Mary knew he was special… better than anyone else… I think her fear FOR him overrode her faith IN him. Jesus must have known why they were there… Why else would he refuse to see them? Why else ask the question “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” Now, unlike many of his questions… Jesus, himself, answers this one: Pointing to his followers he said “Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.” Jesus tells his followers “You are my brothers, my sisters, and my mothers. All of you! We are a family.” He assured his followers that, by the grace of God, they were members of his own family. They too were Children of God! This is the message Jesus was teaching. What was true then… is true now. Today, Jesus openly declares… HERE IS MY FAMILY! The problem today is that we forget how we are to treat one another… whether our individual families or our family of faith. Too often we let our disagreements and anger get in the way. Unfortunately, in our world of divisions, too often Christians forget Christ’s teaching… we forget the call to be one body… one family in Christ. That we are brothers and sisters in the faith… That we are commanded to Love all people! This is why Jesus gave his disciples his NEW commandment… Love one another as I have loved you! After all… How can we share God’s love with the world when we cannot seem to share it among ourselves? Churches today have been accused of being hypocritical… and I believe in many cases our accusers are correct. We preach love for God, neighbor and one another… then leave church and go out in the world and FAIL to live it… There was once an usher at a church who said, “We have nothing but good, kind Christians in this church until you try to seat someone else in their pew.” You laugh… but those jokes are around for a reason… Jesus redefined family as being all those who believe in him and do the will of God. We are not connected by our DNA, or the blood flowing in our veins… We ARE connected by the grace that flows freely from the blood of Christ. This is the Good News: Through faith, we have been adopted into Christ Jesus’ IMMEDIATE family… We are his sisters and brothers. This means, that as a Christian… I AM NOT some 4th cousin once removed… I AM Jesus’ sister! You are Jesus’ brother… you are his sister… Adopted and Loved by the Father in heaven. Every follower of the Way, all across the globe, is a member of Christ Jesus’ own family. WE talk about Christian Fellowship – what the early church called Kononia… We talk about being a family of faith… NOW we need to live it… As Christ’s disciples in the world today, we need to realize that we are NOT on this journey of faith alone. We ARE God’s Children. We, by the glorious grace of God, have been adopted into God’s family. Adopted and loved… Making us ALL brothers and sisters of Christ Jesus. Jesus commanded that we love one another as he has loved us. Not just at the rare family reunion when we need to smile and try to deal with crazy Uncle Fred... But each and every day. Fully, totally, willing to give our very lives for one another just as Christ did for us. By following Christ’s example we are called to live as a true and loving family of faith. To love, care for and support one another. To hold one another accountable and to reprove gently when one of us strays from the path. Here is the kicker… this is not true only here within this congregation… But with every brother and sister of Christ in the world. We need to understand that as Christians, we are ALL connected… Every Christian in the world is our brother and our sister… Even those we disagree with… even those we dislike! This is an impossible love, an impossible community, and an impossible task… But we have a God who makes the impossible… possible! It’s God who does miraculous things even among difficult people… and it is God who gives us the strength to work together for God’s glory. The church’s success both here and around the world is measured by the quality of its love. This is shown through honor, respect, hospitality, unity, including everyone, persevering together through difficult times or issues, bearing burdens, forgiveness, encouragement, and fellowship. Jesus said they will know that we are his “family” by our love. So, let us live in love with one another so that others will want what we’ve got. “Christians in community must again show the world, not merely family values, but the bond of the love of Christ.” (Edmund Clowney) “There should be such a love within the church that the lost world is tripping over themselves to come and experience it.” (Troy Harkey) The challenge for us is to remember each and every day that we are all a part of a great, immense family. We need to Love & Support one another… the whole family… everywhere. Sharing God’s love with one another and letting it spill out into the world. Then we will all have joy unspeakable, faith unsinkable, love unstoppable and anything is possible!
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Yeon Shin
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