What is Your Family Resemblance?

What is Your Family Resemblance?

Good Morning Friends,

It is that time of year when family visits Florida for all sorts of reasons and we get to see ourselves though the lives of others. We get to see the connections. In the experience of this it helps us to remember that God created the family and used the same idea when creating His church.  Here we learn that God desires for us to be in unity and to share as heirs of His kingdom as His children. It therefore is beneficial for us to learn and to share in the growth, grace and understanding of our family in a spiritual way. I think Jesus wept for the family. He did for Mary, Martha and Lazarus because he loved them and also saw his story in their story. So too we see in our earthly families part of God’s family connected by faith to Jesus. Here we look into the eyes of others and ask, What is Your Family Resemblance?

Scripture: ³⁵Jesus began to weep.

John 11:35 (NRSV)

11¹Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.

1 Corinthians 11:1 (NRSV)

13Therefore prepare your minds for action;^* discipline yourselves; set all your hope on the grace that Jesus Christ will bring you when he is revealed. ¹⁴Like obedient children, do not be conformed to the desires that you formerly had in ignorance. ¹⁵Instead, as he who called you is holy, be holy yourselves in all your conduct; ¹⁶for it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy.’

1 Peter 1:13-16 (NRSV)

To all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.

John 1:12 (NIV)

Message: Thankfully God has graced us with some attributes that come so naturally that we do not have to imitate others. Still in some ways we do need to learn to be more like Christ. The word “imitation” has many meanings in our society. It can mean artificial likeness where there is no attempt to deceive others…such as artificial flowers, an entertaining impersonation of a public figure or even a proud hypocrite. It can mean a fake likeness with intention to deceive…. such as counterfeit money or spies or a devilish traitor. Or it can also mean following after a pattern or model with intent to respectfully copy… such as those who strive to be like Mike when shooting a basketball or holy like Peter, loving like John or joyous in all things like Paul. It is the later that is the focus of today’s message and yet the other meanings somehow make it all a little more difficult. Whether we are talking about our earthly family or a spiritual one, we ask that others do as we say, but know that people, especially our own children, are more likely to do as we do. It is here we rejoice in Paul’s incredible example but are even more thankful that God has made us in His image and gifted us with at least some key features of Christ that gives us a Holy family resemblance.

Pray we understand, accept, believe and receive God’s grace. Pray we are grafted into the family of God. Pray we develop habits that collectively help us to imitate Christ beyond what is skin deep. Pray we follow the best examples of how to live our lives. Pray we are changed from the inside out. Pray we seek and serve out of thanks to God using the gifts God has given us. Pray this Lent that we develop habits that strengthen family. Pray we recognize the attributes of our awesome God so we might strive to become more pure. Pray we put on Christ. Pray each day we more resemble the holy way Christ would want us go. Pray that our example will lead others to Jesus.

Blessings,

John Lawson