 Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ
Then his mother and his brothers came; and standing outside, they sent to him and called him. A crowd was sitting around him; and they said to him, "Your mother and your brothers and sisters are outside, asking for you." And he replied, "Who are my mother and my brothers?" And looking at those who sat around him, he said, "Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.(Mark 3: 31-35)
Many aspects of our life here in the United States are centered around the concept of "family." You know, two parents living at home with two children. The "model" children of this family enjoy the presence of their grandparents as well as nearby aunts, uncles, nieces and nephews, along with a cousin or two. There's maybe a gerbil or a hamster in certain homes but certainly at least one cat or dog in the house, right?
Statistics suggest otherwise. Single parents account for a little over 1 in 4 adults in US. homes. (US Census, 2000) More than 50% of all Americans have been or will be in stepfamily situations. The 2000 Census indicated that almost 3 million children under the age of 18 and nearly 7 million Americans of all ages identify as belonging to more than one race. 1.6 million children under the age of 18 live with adoptive parents. Approximately 2 million children are being raised by their lesbian and gay parents. More than five million American households can be defined as "unmarried partners." (same sex and unmarried heterosexual couples).
I wonder if Jesus saw these trends coming. Maybe yes or maybe no. Regardless, he was certainly willing to unsettle his followers' understandings of the traditional 1st Century Jewish family. Maybe he was angry with someone in his family when he taught the people around him that he understood himself to be God's son as well as an member of an obedient God-loving family rather than his biological family of origin. The fact is that it would have been completely culturally inappropriate for Jesus as the oldest son of a widow (There's no mention of Joseph in Mark's gospel) to depart from his family and village. It would have been even more provocative of him to stir up tensions in the neighborhood while also bringing undesirable attention to his mother and siblings. Family ties that bind didn't inhibit Jesus from establishing endearing relationships with people who didn't live in Nazareth or under his mother's roof.
The Rev. Dr. Janet Hunt offers us great food for thought as we contemplate our current "family values." She writes that: Jesus moves our understanding of family as simply a place of genetic origins to an understanding of family being a group of people that is marked instead by the choices we make ... as he says that "whoever does the will of God is my mother and my brother and my sister." She adds: I wonder how this new family can be a place where people are never enslaved, but always set free to be all that God calls us to be. (Hunt, Re-defining Family, 2012).
 We are members of The Church. We're Jesus' sisters and brothers too. We "relate" to one another here at St. James. Some of us have known each other for decades. Others are newborns. We've got quirks just like all families do. I imagine that our parents and/or our siblings have waited at the door for us when were acting oddly. We come from a variety of biological and cultural backgrounds. Some of our families of origin are more "modelish" than others. That's not as important I think as is understanding how we are living and being Christ-like with one another. Are we seeking and serving God's will? Are we doing our very best to celebrate and share our belief in Jesus' Gospel? This Sunday, we'll offer special congratulations to younger and college-aged members of St. James' brood. I hope that you'll be here for "Youth Sunday" as well as join with us often for our family meal at Christ's altar.
Blessings Along The Way, Jim+ |
