See what great love the Father has given us that we should be called God’s children—and we are!– 1John 3:1
I have recently been thinking about how rich the image of family is as a metaphor for the church. Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ is an association of congregations and “family” is a great word to describe who we are together and how we relate to one another. We have unity in a common confession of faith and a mission to make new disciples of Jesus in the world. Yet we also celebrate our freedom in Christ that leads to diverse expressions of worship and ministry as each family member lives out their faith differently as each is uniquely called and positioned in the Kingdom of God.
As family we connect, communicate, care for one another, forgive one another, share in each other’s joys and sorrows, help one another in times of need, hold one another accountable, offer and receive advice and counsel and respect that each family member is ultimately responsible for themselves and their own decisions. Not only is this a good and helpful understanding for our association, but also for the individual members of a local congregation. The brothers and sisters of Christ gathered in a local church are called into a family relationship. When we are attentive to our church family and live into these relationships well, not only are we blessed by the relationship, but we bear witness to God’s love to the world, too!
All too often the world sees Christians and the church as unkind, unwelcoming, judgmental, and primarily interested in controlling behaviors according to what the world sees as an antiquated moral code. Unfortunately, some of this reputation is warranted. We probably all are familiar with people and churches that reflect this reality. Yet God’s desire for the church is to be the family of God and to lovingly relate to one another in ways that reflect the heart of Christ. If Christians do not love one another, forgive one another, enjoy one another or care for one another, then what does that say about us to the world?
God calls us to be family. We are united in our identity as children of God and co-heirs with Christ. In God’s Spirit we are to love one another as Christ loves us, truly caring for one another. As you greet one another, meet with one another, worship and serve with one another, remember that we are family. It will change the way you see and relate to the people you attend church with. And the world will take notice, too. To quote an unbeliever’s observation of the early church: “Behold! How they love one another.”
