By Canaan Chapman
I have a huge family. An older brother (now married with two kids), and six—yes, six—little sisters, one of whom is married with two kids herself. I have two little children with my wife, then my parents and the two dogs they have, oh, and the pup my sister has. Sometimes, there are even aunts, uncles, in-laws, cousins and grandparents to contend with! When we get together, one would think how much fun it would be to share love and life and energy and stories. But let’s face it—my family, like many, isn’t perfect (shocker!). It’s not all sunshine and laughter. Even during close family moments, there’s awkward silences, little tiffs and annoyances and conversations with awkward beginnings because of gaps in time or distance. Even though moments together can be messy at times, family for me has also meant having closeness, being known, and being connected to something greater than myself. This connection is essential for love, healing, and reconciliation. And the family is part of God’s plan for redeeming all of humankind.
It’s no wonder then that the Bible speaks so much to the idea of family, both earthly and eternal, it’s an important and perfect metaphor. We celebrate this season and remember how God sent Jesus so that by grace and through faith, we can be born again. This time, however, we’re not born of sin but into the family of God. To heal a sin-fractured relationship that began with Adam, Romans 5:6 tells us that while we were “helpless,” at the perfect time, Christ died for the ungodly. His sacrifice wasn’t just for a select few; it was for all of humanity, bringing us back into the fold of God’s family.
I love the readings for today. Reflecting on Ephesians 2:19–22, it beautifully describes this reconciliation: we were once foreigners and strangers, but through Christ, we have become “fellow citizens with the saints, and members of God’s household.” The division between us and our Heavenly Father has been demolished, replaced by the new life Jesus offers.
The point of today is that Jesus reunites us with God. Because we’re grafted into this family and are coheirs with Christ, we benefit in the same way as Jesus in being children of God. We don’t have to simply live in the earthly reality, treating our relationship with God according to the dysfunction as we may know from our earthly families. In Christ we become reunited with God, and this reconciliation teaches us how we can reconcile here on earth.
Maybe there’s something you need to do: mend a relationship with a family member, or reach out to someone you haven’t in years. Maybe there’s tension somewhere else in your life, and you could send a message, offer an apology, or simply extend a smile. It took the blood of Jesus’s sacrifice to unseparate us, and because of His love at work through us, we can be the peacemakers, watching the beauty of reconciliation unfold.
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