FAMILYish

A new series started at my church this morning, and I'm so glad I was there to receive the message...

The series is called Familyish, and it's all part of the "Emancipating Greatness" series that Pastor Johnson was given a vision to teach. The idea is that we are all made for greatness, we are doing the work THIS year to be great, and NEXT year we will go forth and LIVE out this greatness that God created in us. 

Families, pastor explained, can be filled with lots of drama and dysfunction, and it's been this way since biblical times. Think Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, Abraham and Sarah, etc. etc. Right! Families back then were seriously messed up, and today is no different. 

Pastor shared that the Greek word for family is oikos, and it wasn't uncommon for Greeks to live with their entire family...some 20 to 70 "extended" members who all lived together, worked together, dined together...did "life" together. Pastor shared this because he wants us to think of church as an extension of our family...we need to get to know each other, so that we can become a spiritual family.

He mentioned how we all rush to get to church, and then rush to leave. He said some of us attend church online, not leaving our homes and getting connected with each other. He said some of us join a small group each week, but once that meeting is over, we rush back to our lives and immediate families. He challenged us to get to church EARLY and meet new people. He said when church ends, stay LATER and meet new faces. How about that? 

He said that it's all great to have your immediate family, but when life happens...you lose a job, get a divorce, get sick, etc. etc. it would be great to have others to lean on for support and vice versa. He challenged us to open our homes and invite people over for dinner. He said we could learn a lot about how to do family the right way by being around others and seeing how they do life. We could learn and others could learn from us.  And then he gave us five minutes in the sanctuary to find someone we didn't know and ask the following:

1. Name? How long have you been at Victory?
2. Favorite dessert?
3. What do you need prayer for?

 I met a lovely woman Joan who has been attending Victory almost as long as I have. She loves ice-cream, and when I asked her what she needed prayer for, she told me about her mother in Africa who she hasn't been able to see due to COVID. We chatted for the five minutes, and we prayed for each other. It was surprisingly fun and not awkward at all!

The idea of opening up one's home to strangers isn't a novel idea, and this is a message that's often preached in our church.  It makes me think of our friends The Smiths because they did this so well and so authentically. They ALWAYS opened their door to new friends, breaking bread and playing a multitude of board games. They always made people feel welcomed, and they are a great example of a spiritual family. 

I've long desired to make more of an effort to do the same...invite more people into our home AND join and stay connected to a small group. It seems like I'm being challenged in this area of my life. Challenge accepted.  I'll let you know how it goes.