Family

Then Jesus' mother and brothers arrived. Standing outside, they sent someone in to call him. A crowd was sitting around him, and they told him, "Your mother and brothers are outside looking for you." "Who are my mother and my brothers?" he asked. Then he looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, "Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does God's will is my brother and sister and mother." (Mark 3:31-35 NIV)

I read a devotion the other day written by a pastor who said that he really didn't like his church spoken of as "family" because it has a negative impact on visitors and guests who are obviously "not part of this family."

Yep.. I've visited churches like that before and I feel sorry for this pastor that he is part of one of "those" churches. But his experience does not always hold true.

I have visited friends where the second you walk in their door, you ARE family... and you feel it. Some people are just so good at welcoming their guests and visitors and making them feel comfortable and at home that there is never that "guest" feeling in their homes. I've also visited people where I have felt every bit the outsider no matter how many times I have visited or how long I have stayed.

The Church... the WHOLE Church is a family by definition. We can no more NOT be a family than we can not call the spouse and children we live with our family. Thereefore, we must make certain that we are one of those families that make visitors and guests feel immediately like family.

I think we do a pretty good job of that at Holy Cross, but perhaps we could do an even better job of it. What can YOU do to make any of our recent visitors feel like family? Maybe just finding out their names would be a good start... or invite them to come to Sunday school with you. If they are about the same age, invite their kids to sit with your kids in worship. Invite them into your ministry or social group... that's a very important one. When your guest helps with the household work, you know they feel at home!

Yes, those that worship together every week are a church family... but we are not a closed family; we are part of a larger family that is spread out around the world and each time a member of the larger family walks in we need to give them a welcoming hug and toss them a dish towel. And even those that may not have been a member of the greater church and may just be curious will benefit from this kind of whole-hearted welcome.

Father,
We are ALL your children. Help us to welcome one anotheer as brothers and sisters and moms and dads and sons and daughters to everyone who walks through our doors. Amen.

Joys: fun weekend with Cecelia; seeing Kevin around the house a little more often; getting some needed rain this week