All in the Family, the Family in All

"All in the Family, the Family in All"

Churches our homes away from all homes, congregations our kinship, our homies, no more typically "Christian" than our "biblical" family --
one-parent, two-parent, three-parent, more! Nuclear, extended, biological, adoptive, foster, "family by affection" -- Genesis bequeathing the "fun" to dysfunctional families!

In Peter's dream, family "something like a large sheet coming down from heaven," all animals, beasts, reptiles, birds: What Creator makes clean, we dare not profane! All of us wrapped in one fabric, never knowing who we'll find under our sheets! "See how they love one another."

Night of 9/11, 7 year-old, often sung to sleep with "church songs;" mother, asked for special one to take away fears of the day; offering "Were You There?" No, not that one. Then "Lord of the Dance." Yes! That one! Eyes closing by ending of second verse: "Now I won't have any bad dreams;" sleeping all night, hand on the Hymnal.

Family made more out of love than biology: Same-gender-parent families; single-parent families; transracial-adoptive families; blended, group-home, foster-home families; grandparent-parent families; families of streets and shelters; "gangs," "platoons" -- no exhausting to ways our families can be! "Hannah presents her son to Eli in a stunning story of foster care; Moses is adopted; Ruth leaves her birth mother to become daughter to Naomi . . ."
(Carol Progue)

Lord of Dancing, teaching, taking new steps every day, Lord who is Love still shaping us every last one of our Singular Ancestor -- One Body, Many Parts; One Spirit, Many Congregations; One Household, Many Rooms; One Faith-Family, Many Members.

Many summonsed to separate from families, friends, homelands, households, behind and below: "The one who believes in me will also do the works that I do, and, in fact, will do greater works than these . . ."
"For we too are God's offspring!"

* * * * *

OK, OK, so this is how it was. It's Thursday night, right? We're all hanging around the corner, squatting down, listening to Jesus talk and ask questions as usual, right? I mean, these forty days since he died and rose, we were following what he said a lot better than before; stuck as we were in the center of our own attention, our tacit assurance it's all about us: going to worship, saying our prayers, studying scripture, "growing closer" (Whatever that means!), impressing by all our "holiest" hopes, insuring ourselves against "judgment" (Whenever that is!)

But once Jesus rose, revealing his wounds, expecting us to be providing him something to eat, offhandedly ordering us back to "scene of the crime" -- We began apprehending anyway: "God" of no other than this broken realm, none of us "holier" peoples, nations, than others; "insourced," baptism with water, "outsourced," with fire, with Spirit; making our ways among everyone everywhere.

No more heading off safely to "heaven" with him, nor waiting on some other "coming again," but resurrected with him to consummate crucifixion's commandable leadings; not to Earth-ending but "Ends of the Earth," creative intentions, cosmic designs -- looking more out than up, more saved than safe;

for why would Jesus quit on us now? Take any easy way out?

"Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, ON EARTH!"