We asked yesterday if you could list of what comes to mind when you hear the word “church”.  Our lists probably included buildings, events and services.  It may have included organ and choir music, stained glass windows, dusty books, bake sales and more.  It may evoke good experiences, or bad ones.

But not how the Bible usually sees “church”.  Church is described in several cases as a family.  This is why our vision is to become a church made up of many groups who are “like family” with one another.

But you might immediately think this means something strange and cultish, usually because our ideas of family today is pretty narrow.  We think of family as the nuclear, immediate family in isolation.

But in Jesus’ culture, in some cultures today, and not so long ago in Western culture, the family was the word used more naturally to describe an extended network of relations, often living in the same area.

That was the context for family in Jesus’ day, and Jesus had plans to develop a new kind of extended family.  Here’s a striking moment when he described his plans to create an alternate family:

Matthew 12:46-50 While he was still speaking to the people, behold, his mother and his brothers stood outside, asking to speak to him. But he replied to the man who told him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?”  And stretching out his hand toward 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.”

On the one hand, it seems Jesus just put down his mother.  I just saw “Guilt Trip” where Barbra Streisand plays Seth Rogen’s overbearing mother.  She calls several times a day, tries to get him to drink water constantly, and so on.  In the middle of their road trip, he finally snaps, and tells her off.

It seems like that might be what Jesus is doing to his mother here.  Is he putting her down, in his plans to join another family?  Look at it another way.  Jesus is actually elevating his disciples to family status.  His followers, fellow practitioners of his kingdom, are his family.

She’s not excluded.  Later in the story of Jesus’ life and death, we see Mary his mother appearing as a devoted member of this extended family, and Jesus even assigns one of the disciples to look after her after his death, saying he’s her new son, and vice versa.

Jesus isn’t narrowing his definition of family to exclude blood relatives.  He’s broadening it, to include his extended family of followers as if they are blood relatives.

Question: Imagine your immediate family suddenly adopting a dozen new members.  How would it change your way of life?  What would be the pros and cons?

Ryan Sim - October 16, 2013

Wednesday - Change It - Friends To Family

This week we’re exploring this idea of “people of peace”. Jesus sent his followers to various towns, and asked them find people of peace and go deeply in relationship with them, and not to go from house to house. This was selective by design, and Jesus is okay with that. Jesus focused on his 12 disciples, and sometimes even smaller groups, through much of his ministry. Here he sends 72, not 72000. Jesus sends them to focus on one family in each town. Go deep into relationship with them. He even says, if things don’t work out, move on. But whenever you enter a town and they do not receive you, go into its streets and say, ‘Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet we wipe off against you. Nevertheless know this, that the kingdom of God has come near.’ I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town. (Luke 10:10-12) There can be all sorts of reasons why someone doesn’t want a close relationship with a follower of Jesus. The authors of “The Art of Neighbouring” suggest they may be: Too busy Wary of certain people Already relationally full At a different stage of life Afraid of exposure They may not be your person of peace. Not now, or ever. They may be someone else’s person of peace! But if they welcome you, are hospitable and friendly, invest in them, and they will invest in you. Sometimes it’s obvious, but if it is not obvious, pray, and just dive in, meet people, see who pops up as generous, caring, patient, and hospitable. Question: Who do you think might be a person of peace in your neighbourhood?

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