Brothers and Sisters…

Good morning, Church family. If people aren’t familiar with Jesus’ teachings, they may misunderstand why we refer to each other as brothers and sisters and family. In the first century Roman world, those who didn’t yet understand Christian teachings thought that the early Christians were incestuous become of family language in those early churches where even husbands and wives often referred to one another as brother and sister. Most people in our culture understand that’s not what’s going on, but using these terms may still seem strange or even cultish to some, but it’s not that at all. We use familial terms for one another, because we are spiritually connected by God in Jesus Christ.

Scripture teaches that God welcomes us into his spiritual household when we confess him as Lord and are spiritually cleansed in baptism. And all of that is made possible because Jesus died for us and graciously forgives our sins. If it wasn’t for all of that, I’d just be Patrick Barber with Scotch-Irish roots. But as it is in Christ, I am something and someone different.

When you think about who you are, what comes to mind? How would you define or describe yourself? How would the people you live with, or work with, or interact with in the community describe you? These are all important questions if we believe that our identity and our influence matter to God’s mission. Hopefully I’ll be able to connect some of these dots during the sermon time this morning. God bless.

—Patrick Barber