DWELL. Luke 8:16-21
‘No one after lighting a lamp hides it under a jar, or puts it under a bed, but puts it on a lampstand, so that those who enter may see the light. For nothing is hidden that will not be disclosed, nor is anything secret that will not become known and come to light. Then pay attention to how you listen; for to those who have, more will be given; and from those who do not have, even what they seem to have will be taken away.’
Then his mother and his brothers came to him, but they could not reach him because of the crowd. And he was told, ‘Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, wanting to see you.’ But he said to them, ‘My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it.’
REFLECT
Jesus redefines the family. For some of us this is good news. We expect our families of origin, our blood relatives, to treat us with love and respect. But so often siblings and parents are divided, disconnected, and disloyal. There are so many broken families. And yet, humans are made to live in them. We are programmed to be in families or to find one if the one we're in does not work. People are not solitary creatures. We seek to belong. And yet family life can be destructive and painful. Some of us experience trauma in our families. We keep our families small, for lack of trust. An extended family system make us feel vulnerable. Our emotional health is tied to our family relationships.
So, Jesus reorients the nature of family; those who hear the Word of God and do it belong to Him. For Jesus water is thicker than blood. Those who have entered the waters of Baptism (step one in a process of rebirth and renewal) and have joined the movement to hear the Word of God and live it are a new kind of family. Family is not only about ethnicity or lineage or ancestry. It is characterized by a human community that celebrates and follows the intentions of God, made known to us by Jesus, the prophets, and faithful proclaimers through the ages. Which Presumes that God has spoken, enlightening real men and women with truth and empowering them to bear that truth on behalf of the world. God seeks representatives who will hear and speak God's words for the world. God intends for us to live as family, united in love. When we do, the family multiplies. Love begets love. We are all beloved children of God called to love one another with actions that speak love. Jesus' family multiplies as the Word spreads.
But strife also begets more brokenness. We see family strife devour people and create more fragmentation. Like a cancer, enmity grows and eats away what is good and healthy. "Those who have will be given more and those who do not have even what they seem to have will be taken away." This is not economic, its relational. And it happens.
The human family is a broken and fragmented mess. But our allegiances need not be tied to tribal feuds, national politics, or ethnic prejudices. Instead, we are invited to bind ourselves to Jesus as the family of faith on a mission to love the world God made and work for its restoration and peace.
We are invited to be a family of siblings whose love for one another requires forgiveness when we hurt one another. We are invited to be a family whose love imitates the Father's love for us.
PRAYER
Jesus, our brother; we ask that our families be filled with love and forgiveness and gladness. Protect those whose families are unsafe, especially children who experience domestic abuse or neglect. Form your people into a family through faith that we may love and serve one another. Amen.
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