“Family reunion.” What hits you when you hear those words?

Some folks travel hundreds of miles – from out of state or even from out of the country.  Some come from just a few blocks over. There’s food! Potluck or catered? Some reunions go fancy – renting hotel ballrooms or jumping on cruise ships. Some go simple – the local community center at the city park or even a campground. Might last all week long. Might just last a weekend.

The nuances can look very different, but when the people start showing up, it’s not the location or the menus or the sleeping arrangements that garner all of the attention. It’s family!

Somewhere along the way, a husband and a wife had a baby or two or three. Those babies grew up and made more babies, and the next thing you know, there were generations of great-grandparents, grandparents, mamas and daddies, and more babies. Folks scattered for different reasons – jobs, in-laws, more opportunities. Aunts, uncles, cousins you played with as a kid, and all of the first cousins and great-nieces and random family connections created a network that spans time and distance.

Then one day, you get that group email or form letter with a save-the-date and a destination. It’s family reunion time, baby!

There are all kinds of people at these gatherings. And they’re all related to you somehow. There are the crazy uncles – full of pranks and jokes. There are the game players – all about the fun and most likely to have organized the reunion. There are the quiet ones who prefer to rock babies and just smile from across the room. There are the serious ones in groups of three or four, talking in low voices about who knows what. There are kids running around and laughing and being just a little too loud for the older folks.

Some you know well. Some you’ve never seen before. (Are they crashers?!) Some you’ve heard stories about – and now here they are! There’s a mixed bag at this gathering. Some folks are easy to love and get to know. Some are frustrating. Some are just plain scratchy – like hugging a porcupine. Some – to tell the truth – just get on your nerves. Some are like a candy surprise – kinda crunchy on the outside but sweet on the inside.

If you make the effort to get out of your chair and make your way around the room and thoughtfully study each face, reality strikes. There is a distinct family resemblance among all of the attendees. You visit, you laugh, you flip through old photo albums and scrapbooks, you listen to oral history being passed down from old to young, and you marvel. No one in the room is perfect, but in the end, you would go to the mat for each other because of this beautiful, God-ordained bond that nothing can change. Because that’s what family does.

I love my family – and God bless us all! – we are not perfect. We love each other, and when things get nutty, we always manage to rally the troops and dive in to help in whatever way we can. I’m grateful for each one and for the unique personalities, talents, and gifts they bring to the family table.

I’m also grateful that I have not only a five-star natural family, but a church family as well.

We definitely can’t go a whole year or more between gatherings – gosh, we meet every single week! We’ve got newborns all the way to gray-hairs in our hallways and sanctuary. Some live down the street, some make quite a drive. But we all show up – the fun, gregarious ones; the quiet, studious ones; the planners, the prayers, the greeters. And just like a real family, it’s a mixed bag – the easy-to-love ones, the frustrating ones, the scratchy ones, the get-on-your-nerves ones, and the candy surprise ones. If you go around the room and study the stories and hearts of the people, reality strikes. There is a distinct family resemblance.

No one is perfect, but we are all family – children of God who each have a date marked on our calendar when we surrendered to the grace and mercy of our ever-pursuing Father. Yes, we would go to the mat for each other, and yes, the troops stand ready to rally when hard times come. There is commitment in and to this family because we are all loyal to the same Father Who rescued us from our own paths of rebellion and pride.

When we run into conflict, we don’t bail. We follow one of the basic dog-training commands – “stay.” We work it out. Give grace. Sacrifice. Confess. Make amends. Realize that it could just possibly be “me” who is the problem, and run toward resolution. After all, “love covers over a multitude of sins.” (1Peter 4:8)

Our little family isn’t perfect. We sometimes get it wrong. We hurt each other on occasion. We stinkin’ sinners still even sin sometimes. (Sigh.) But we just keep going back to the cross – and to each other – because that’s what this family does.

If you haven’t checked in with the family for a while, I hope you won’t go another day without reaching out to a brother or sister for a welfare check. A lone sheep is easy prey for the wolf – don’t withhold from yourself the safety of the flock and the protection of the Shepherd. Wounded? Angry? Disappointed? Let the family dress your wounds and help you to heal. We’re here for you.

I pray that you have a family like this little church family I love so much, but if you don’t, I’ve got a save-the-date and a destination for you. We’re having a family reunion on Sunday, and you’re invited!

“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” – Ephesians 4:32

“Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves.” – Romans 12:20

“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.” – Philippians 2:3-4

“Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.” – Galatians 6:10

“And let us consider how we may spur one another on to love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage each other – and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” – Hebrews 10:24-25