A Christian Family
“A Christian Family” THAT is a phrase to make me shudder. I immediately have images in my mind of Focus on the Family; of a dad who is the Head of the House, the submissive stay-at-home mother who sells Tubberware and Avon and other things to have some personal cash, of a Quiverful of children – all the girls in dresses and all the boys in button up shirts.
I shudder. I think of abuse behind closed doors. I think of homesteading, of being against vaccinations, against sex education, against non-straight folk, against non-Western European white folk, golly…. Against science and birth control and other religions and other cultures and … and…
I have a TON of negative stereotypes against that phrase: A Christian Family.
That speaks a wonder about how much this phrase has been co-opted, taken, to mean a very particular, very narrow, understanding of what Christian is, and what family means.
If I play with the language some and ask “What families do I know who are Christian?” I come up with a diverse mix of faith expressions and families.
I know Christian lesbian families, and Christian polyamorous families. I know Christian families who have divorced, and been remarried – or never married – or never remarried. I know Christian families with no children, adopted children, and children born with fertility assistance. I know Christian families with furbabies! I know a Christian family where non-Christian holidays are also celebrated; and Kosher is kept. I know families… who are Christian… who don’t fit any of the stereotypes “A Christian Family” are expected to keep.
I want to reclaim that phrase “A Christian Family.” I want to take it and make it once again a good term. One again associated with the families we find in Scripture.
Families like… Jesus’. He is the adopted son of Joseph. He has half brothers and step-sisters. He has a whole lot of family who is not related by blood in the least to him that he calls brother, sister, mother. And when he hangs on the cross, realizing death is coming, he entrusts the care of his biological mother to his best friend – declaring them mother and son. Jesus’ family is not united by exclusively by biology. Jesus’ family is metaphysical. Spiritual.
A Christian Family is a spiritual family.
You may have heard it said that a family that prays together, stays together. I… think this is true. This isn’t to say that a couple who always prays together will never get divorced; nor is it to say parents who pray with children will never have their children choose a different path than their own. Rather, I think it is true in the spiritual sense. Whether we live or die, separate or divorce, move away or marry, change political affiliations or even religions… we remain God’s Children. God has made us in God’s own image. Called us God’s own children. And declared we are loved.
As God is our father, brothers all are we. As God is our mother, sisters all are we. Because God is our parent, we are all family.
Families feud. Families love each other. Families hate each other. Families come in many different styles and looks and organization. But there remains but one human family.
Inside that one human family is our Christian Family. A bit like inside your own family is your household family. In this Christian Family we know our loving God through the revelations Jesus entrusted to us. We know the greatest commandment and the one like it: to Love God with all our heart, minds, souls, and strength… and to love each other, just like we love ourselves. In this manner, we are a Christian family – following our big brother Jesus’ lead.
Jesus calls us… friends. A family made out of friends. In ancient Israeli, biological family was the tightest kinship. But in the ancient Roman world, friends were the tightest kinship. In our scripture we see these two ideas of strongest kinship both being played with. For both John and 1 John wrote to audiences who had Roman influences. The message our authors want to stress is the same whether we come to it from the idea that blood is thicker than water; or from the idea of a chosen family is a stronger family. The message remains the same: we are family.
We are a Christian Family of God’s Universal Family.
We are biologically related – sharing far more of our genetic code and blood with one another than not. We are spiritually related – chosen to be made by God and chosen to be claimed by God as God’s children.
We are family, united in our love, and called to perfect our love for one another and creation, for ourselves, and for our God.
We are the Christian Family. And this day, we honor our siblinghood.
Amen!
Pastor Whitney Bruno Sermons 