“It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to your name, O Most High; to declare your steadfast love in the morning, and your faithfulness by night, to the music of the lute and the harp, to the melody of the lyre. For you, O Lord, have made me glad by your work; at the works of your hands I sing for joy.”
(Psalm 92:1-4)

A loving family is an incredible gift, a quiet joy in the morning, a soothing celebration in the evening, and a strength for all the hours in between. Few things are taken more for granted, yet are more greatly depended upon, and are spoken of while not being tended to. Family.

‘Family’ is a term of relationship that bespeaks blood ties, but is not limited to it. ‘Family’ denotes a kinship of experience, but is not dependent upon it. ‘Family’ indicates a sense of being included on an intimate journey, yet not limited in the direction the journey takes. Family.

Much of what I have come to understand and believe about family is a result of what I have been blessed to grow up in – and what I have been doubly blessed to become a part of along the way. Grandparents shared our home as I grew up and taught me the value of family stories and the wonder of grandparent hugs. Parents rooted me in the deep soil of love and faith, while encouraging me to grow in the way that was right for my life. Brothers challenged and chided me, taught me to play and to work with an equal passion, and nurtured me in the realities of blood being thicker than water and love being deeper than any difficulty. Family.

A loving wife is better than gold in the bank and acres of soil in your name. One who shares much more than your name is one who laughs at your stupid jokes in public and reminds you that you are human in private. One who walks with you in every climate of life encourages your better nature without ignoring your greater challenges, quiets your self-questioning without taking you off the hook for continued personal growth, and celebrates your victories without reminding you of how many times you had to try something before succeeding. Family.

Children and grandchildren are God’s blessings of humility and love: they are the babies you can’t wait to hold when they are born and the ones you hope want to hold you when they are older; they are the childish giggles of amazement in the dawning rays of sunlight and the hushed tones of love that gather us in their arms as our days of existence draw to a close; they are the providers of diapers full of waste as they nuzzle deeply into our souls while growing and are the ones who will take our place in the journey as we grow older and become dependent upon them; they are the flesh and blood of our hopes and dreams and are the integrity and boldness of God’s plan and place for them. They are without equal in our hearts and are without comparison in our living. We are not defined by them, but are known by who they become. They are not a requisite of our existence, by are the prerequisite for our continued existence. Family.

“On earth as it is in heaven.” Those simple words of our Lord’s Prayer speak a plea that goes far beyond the seven words it takes to say it: ‘Family.’ To know as we are known. To care as we are cared for. To love as we are loved. To forgive as we are forgiven. We dance with others as we are invited to dance in faith. To encourage growth as we are encouraged to grow. To have a passion for relationship as we are passionately related to. To be together as we are birthed to be individually. To heal as we are healed. To cry with as we are cried for. To share laughter even as laughter is shared with us. To wonder on earth as wonder is embodied in heaven. To embrace with grace even as we are in awe of the very source of its’ being. Family.

Approaching this season of Thanksgiving, I am becoming more and more keenly aware of just how much we have to be thankful for . . . all in terms of family:

For the God who births us into spectacular existence, then loves us enough to allow us the freedom to discover what that existence is;

For the Christ who rebirths us into new life, then gives us each other as a baptismal family that we not be alone wherever our journeys takes us;

For the Spirit who breathes into us our first breath of life and is there to receive us when our last breath ceases, and for every breath of human persistence in between;

WE GIVE TO THE LORD OF FAMILY OUR PRAISE!

For the encounters of God’s love that we come to know as mother and father, grandmother and grandfather, mother-in-law and father-in-law . . . parents all, each in their own way;

For those with whom we are birthed who are to us as sister and brother, by blood and by baptism . . . siblings all, each in their own way;

For those with whom we are blessed to fall in love, who are as partner, spouse, help-mate, soul-mate, and lover . . . gifts of Divine Intention;

For those who come to us from the birth-waters of the womb, who are to us as children by blood and passion or by the incredible joy of God’s own intervention;

WE GIVE TO THE LORD OF FAMILY OUR PRAISE!

For the ones who care for us with hands and voices of tremendous tenderness and for those whose silent prayers and unseen presence see us through every adversity;

For those who bring into our lives the color of springtime and for those who teach us an appreciation for the deepest hues of autumn;

For the ones who whose laughter makes the darkest storms seem brighter and for those whose shoulders are broad enough for the hottest of tears and anger;

For those who give us vision beyond our seeing, understanding beyond our listening, perception beyond our feeling, memory beyond our smelling, and flavor beyond our tasting;

WE GIVE TO THE LORD OF FAMILY OUR PRAISE!

For the Body of Christ that feeds us and the Blood of Christ which quenches our every thirst;

For the Church of Jesus Christ beyond the institution and the embodiment of the Church beyond the denomination;

For the wonderment of differences in the denominations and the mission and ministry made possible through the institution;

For the strength of faith through God that will not allow the vitality of the Church to be reduced by parochial self-interest;

WE GIVE TO THE LORD OF FAMILY OUR PRAISE!

For the power of family that does not give way to the powers and principalities of this world;

For the assurance of family who dares to worship, pray and work together, refusing to accept as truthful the alluring voices of the prevailing cultures;

For the comfort of family who rallies to our side when pain, brokenness, and trouble are all around, pointing to a cross and empty tomb as evidence of how loved we are;

And, for the confidence of family whose call embraces the presence of the Spirit, whose nature is revealed in love and whose heart is the very meaning of thanksgiving before God;