A New Kind of Family
Scripture Reading — Romans 12:3-8
In Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.
Romans 12:5
With Jesus’ words from the cross (John 19:26-27), John and Mary became part of the same household, the same family. They also became part of a much larger family as well.
In Acts 1:12-14 we find that both Mary and John were among the believers in the early Christian community. So they became family in more ways than one. They became mother and son, as Jesus said, and they joined with other believers to become brothers and sisters in Christ.
At the foot of the cross, a new kind of family was born. It was not based on blood ties. It was a family created by the common faith that Jesus is the Son of God. A shared commitment and loyalty to Jesus became the glue that held this new family together.
As he spoke to his mother from the cross, Jesus gave Mary a new family.
We are invited to become part of this family too! When we place our faith in Christ, we become part of a new body in which “each member belongs to all the others.”
To belong to Christ is to belong to his body. Part of God’s purpose in saving us is to make us into a functioning, living, breathing member of a new family!
Lord God, thank you for giving me a new family. As I place my faith in Jesus, I belong not only to you but also to a community of brothers and sisters in your name! Amen.
About the author — Shawn Brix
Rev. Shawn Brix has served as pastor in several Ontario churches. He and his wife, Jenny, have three children.
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