Matthew 12:49-50 Pointing to his disciples, 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.”

This is an absolutely magnificent statement that Jesus claims all who are obedient to God as His family, and at the same time, it presents some real challenges to our usual ways of thinking. It is not teaching us that we are to write off our biological families. As Paul said, “Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.” (1 Timothy 5:8) After all, honoring our parents is in the 10 Commandments! However, connections of faith can often be stronger than connections of genetics. It is my conviction that any healthy church is going to have a very family atmosphere, as in the Gaither song, The Family of God. This passage also throws a further curve in the Catholic practice of referring to Mary as “the Mother of God.” In the first place, she was certainly the mother of Jesus’ physical body, but no created being could ever be the parent of a member of the Trinity. This extends that further, pointing out that relationships are by faith, and here, obedience. We can indeed sing with joy, “I’m so glad I’m a part of the family of God.”

This is very timely for me, since we are making plans to visit biological family in the US, for the first time in seven years. The three drivers for that are the hospitalization of my brother, visiting the grave of my wife’s brother, and meeting our new great-granddaughter. Those things are important, but at the same time, we have our family of faith here in Omura, and actually, around the world. I’m thrilled to say that keeps growing. I have “close kin” who will be returning from Hong Kong at the end of this month, and a sister who will be getting back from Canada this week. It’s a big family! I’m particularly excited about a man I’ll be seeing this morning who seems on the verge of committing to Jesus as Lord, which will make him also my brother. God’s family keeps growing! I’m thankful for my personal heritage, that is deeply rooted in this reality. When my mother’s younger sister was baptized, she said, “Now I’m Daddy’s little sister!” She understood Kingdom dynamics from the outset. I have the privilege of being God’s agent in growing and strengthening His family, and I am to give my all to that end. That is indeed doing His will, just as Jesus said.

Father, thank You indeed for being our Father. Help me relate rightly to all my siblings, both genetic and otherwise, so that You may be pleased as Your will is done, on Your schedule and for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!