At the end of today’s passage Jesus makes clear that His family includes all of His followers, not just his mother and brothers. To some it may seem trite to refer to other members of the family of God as brothers and sisters. It is never trite to me when I remember our family relationships were made possible by the atoning sacrifice of Jesus.
Yesterday Cheryl and I attended church in Woodstock, Ga. with my daughter and son-in-law. Their church is Watermarke a satellite campus of North Point Community Church. (Satellite does not mean small; I estimated approximately 1,000 in attendance at their 9AM Service.) We were warmly welcomed and made to feel as we were in our home church. We had a similar experience last Sunday in Ruskin and again in Largo that evening. While at St. Paul’s Church I was surrounded by friends from Christ Church and I enjoyed visiting with Robin and Jacqueline Mark from Belfast, my friend Sean the praise team leader at St. Paul’s, Maggie from the District Office, Pastor David Gill from Aldersgate Church, and I greeted friends from the North Florida Tres Dias Community I had not seen in more than ten years. For me, having such an extended family, is one of the best benefits of living in the Kingdom of God.
Jesus also makes clear that the benefits of Kingdom living don’t just happen. In an interesting story about the comings and goings of demons, Jesus shows that the Christian life is not just a vacant lot where sin used to reign. Rather, it is new life filled with the new wine of God’s Kingdom: justice; mercy & peace. As we proactively seek to fill our lives with the things of God we find we have more than friends, we have family wherever we may go.
What does today’s reading reveal to you about God?
What does it reveal to you about yourself?
Think about what God wants you to do or
What does it reveal to you about yourself?
Think about what God wants you to do or
remember about this passage.
Does God want you to change anything in your life?
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