[Some have commented on my ‘absence’ during the last couple of weeks. At times the mind is overwhelmed with thoughts and activities and a break is needed.–by]
In our physical families, we have close relatives and distant relatives. So also spiritually. For Jan and me, our ministry and missions efforts mean that we spend a lot of time with distant relatives in our spiritual family–often with family members we are meeting for the first time. The bittersweet is that while our efforts give us lots of sweet, meaningful “family reunions” with new brothers and sisters, they also take us away from the local church and the relationships we know and cherish as a result of spending much of the last ten years in close connections.
Today we “at home.” We will relish the relationships and share spiritual conversations. It will be especially meaningful to us because our ministry and mission schedule will take us away for the next eight Sundays (Waukegan, Tulsa, Lexington, Nashville, Edmond, Solola, Chichicastenango, San Lorenzo). For this reason, we anticipate sharing our lives today–praying, singing, assembling around The Table. On this day we will also assemble a group of close friends to celebrate and remember special times we have shared in the past.
May your family reunion today be meaningful to you–whether with near family or with distant relatives! May your time with your spiritual family be an avenue for touching spiritual truths and realities, and may you be spiritually stronger because you spend time with those of like precious faith.