We participate in the family of the living God.

      “Our Father in Heaven…” — Matthew 6:9

As a kid growing up, my mom’s side of the family would regularly get together at my grandparent’s house. My mom came from a large family so there were lots of aunts and uncles and cousins in the house, especially on the holidays. Every year we’d get together for Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, Fourth of July. It was fun to grow up in that large of a family.

But after my grandparents died, that all changed. Most of the family relocated around the country because the central location and gathering force that were my grandparents was gone. There was no longer a living bond to hold the family together. There was no one to whom the family could gather. Like moons without a planet to orbit that would simply drift away, that’s what happened to my family.

The church is a family because we have a common, living bond. We share the same Father in Heaven. He is the central location and gathering force of our bond. And it’s his Word that unites us as a family. Jesus says, “My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it” (Luke 8:21). Those who abide in his word are made sons and daughters of the living God.

And so when we gather to pray to “our Father in heaven”, we make clear our bond to God and to each other. And it’s a bond that can never be broken. As Paul says in Romans 8, “For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Jesus died and rose to secure for us an eternal spot in the family of God. All praise be to Jesus Christ our Lord, the faithful Son of God, the first and the last, the living one who stands in all glory, power, and honor forever, amen!

The Christian life is a communal experience as much as it is an individual experience. This is by design because of the nature of the designer. Our God is communal, he is family in himself (Father, Son, and Spirit), and we bear his image and reflect that when, for his glory, we gather as a family to pray.

So brothers and sisters, join us this Sunday at 5pm as we bring our prayers to our Father in heaven.

After we pray, we will share a family meal. We’ll be having pulled pork sandwiches. We’ll provide the meat and buns. But please bring the following to share(based on 1st letter of last name):

  • A – G: Cookies or bars
  • H – L: Veggie tray
  • M – S: Fruit tray
  • T – Z: Sandwich toppings such as pickles, coleslaw, onion, Jalapeño slices, etc.

 

In Christ,

Matthew Lautz

Director of Worship Arts