We Are Family
A crowd was sitting around Jesus, and they said to him, “Look, your mother and your brothers and sisters are outside, and they want you.” Jesus answered, “Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?” He looked at the people sitting around him and said, “Look! Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does what God wants is my brother, my sister, my mother.” Mark 3:32-35
Dorothy has become a special part of our CCDC family. She has set a model of caring and devotion in helping us serve our dinners. She pitches in to help serve the meals, pray the blessing over the meals, and clean up the tables after dinner is over. She is building a deeper sense for all of us to feel we are brothers and sisters in God’s family.
Family is so important to us. This past Fourth of July weekend was a great weekend with my family getting together. My oldest son and his fiancé traveled here from Philly to join our other family members for a wonderful time together. We loved having our family together.
Our love for our families is something Jesus understood and affirmed. He saw that the institution of family is a model of what God’s kingdom is to be. Just as we need the closeness and support of our family, we need the same for our relationships with God’s people.
One of the Ten Commandments is to love and honor our father and mother. Jesus demonstrated this on the cross when he called for his disciple to take care of his mother. Even as he was dying, Jesus sought to care for his mother’s welfare.
In the same manner, Jesus called for his disciples to care for one another and their welfare. Jesus saw that we are made in God’s kingdom to be brothers and sisters. This means that we are given by Jesus a mandate to transcend the racial, economic, political, and cultural differences in order to join together in one Holy Family.
The challenge is even greater these days in our country where divisions between race and political ideologies are getting wider. We need to stand strong in our faith that Christ bridges all divisions when he calls us his brothers and sisters.
CCDC draws people from a wide diversity of races and economic/cultural backgrounds, and Dorothy helps us bridge across all these divisions. We are becoming more like family.
Our volunteers are from diverse backgrounds and further our commitment to being an inclusive ministry that welcomes all people. I believe there is a very special blessing when a diversity of brothers and sisters come together to minister in Christ’s name.
Help support this growing family in God’s kingdom and enable us to further our inclusive community where God’s love is shown to all.
May God’s Peace be with you,
Pastor Jim and Debby Riley