Celebrating Family

by Barry Pollard

(Based on I Cor 12:12-31)

Paul’s letter to the Corinthians should give us all heart and hope today! Essentially it is saying that all of us together are ‘Christ’s body’, and each of us is a unique part of it. It didn’t exclude anyone of us. It didn’t try to identify us as any particular part. It simply says that all of us together are Christ’s body, and each of us is a part of it.

I know, those of you who listened attentively through the entire reading will want to draw our attention to the list of the parts specifically appointed for the church: apostles, prophets, teachers, miracle-workers, healers, helpers, leaders, and those who speak and interpret unknown languages. And, yes, I’ll grant that these parts are vital to the collective church; but you are still in the family even if you do not recognise that you have, or are using, any of these special gifts and talents.
We are all parts of the body of Christ, Paul says, because we have all been baptised into one body by one Spirit, and we all share that same Spirit. Different, but with many similarities. One great big family of God!

As we are celebrating families today, I’d like to share a little about my own. I have three biological brothers and a biological sister. We all acknowledge another unrelated ‘brother’, a kid who grew up with us in Tokoroa. As migrant families in the 1950s, all relatives were left behind when our parents crossed the globe for better prospects. Close family friends became our relations.
Our childhood was characterised by the notion of getting ahead in life, obviously a common theme among a population that was drawn together for that very reason. We grew up in a time and place when parents allowed children to get on. Many of our fathers were shift workers at Kinleith and so shooing the kids off to play, anywhere but home, was an imperative. And from a child’s perspective, what parents didn’t know wouldn’t hurt them. Our childhood was one of high adventure, a little danger and much about looking after yourself.

As we grew up it was expected that we would find after-school jobs. My eldest brother Ed started an after-school job at Spear’s Garage at the age of eleven, starting out sweeping and tidying the workshop, but also learning and developing what would become his lifelong passion: all things mechanical. Next brother Stu washed medicine bottles for the local chemist before getting a job as a school cleaner when he went to high school. Nepotism was alive and well in those days: Stu opened the door for me to become a cleaner when I got to high school a few years later.

You may notice no mention of the sister and youngest brother. They were the ‘littlies’ and were too young to be working and by time they were, the big boys were at university and the family owned a general store in Papakura. We all worked in it. Needless to say we all ended up with a pretty strong work ethic. And as adults, between us we have worked in engineering, law, education, banking, horticulture and building.

The shared experiences of growing up and the input of our parents were responsible for shaping us for life after childhood. And today we all look back with fondness and gratitude on that upbringing. Yet, despite having shared so much together, we are all unique. Our starts may have been similar but our current states of affair are not. Like many other families, I suspect, we have our struggles: health issues, alcohol, relationships and marriages.

Despite these issues, and incidents over the past seven decades, we haven’t fallen apart. The glue of family is still strong enough to draw us together as a group to support one another.
Our latest such gathering was travelling in a minivan to our old stamping grounds, in and around Tokoroa. We laughed a lot and cried a little as we remembered people, places and events that were special to us in that time and space.
At no time in my life have I ever felt apart from my siblings. I haven’t always approved of, or got involved with, what they were doing, who they were seeing, or how they were behaving, but they were always family. Nothing said, or left unsaid, upset our relationships. We were always there for each other if needed.

I can’t pretend to know your family stories. I don’t know if your story is one of joy or hurt. But I do know that whatever it was, or is, God’s plan for his family supersedes it. Paul explained, and we have come to know, that God’s grace is enough for us to be acceptable and whole. When he listed the parts of the church that he has appointed for its success, I see “the helper” as the bottom line. Not all of us have the gifts given to the apostles, prophets, teachers, etc. But any of us has it within us to help others. To help is to love. And Jesus said to love one another as he has loved us! To love is to turn our faces from looking inwards to looking outwards.

As a member of the family of God you are disposed to becoming more like Christ, day by day becoming better. Remember we have all been baptised into one body by one shared Spirit. Each of us is important. Each of us is unique. But when one suffers, we all suffer. When one rejoices, we all rejoice. We bear each other’s burdens and celebrate each other’s victories.
Living in the family of God, we have calls to action. We need to identify and reflect on our spiritual gifts: how can we better use them for the benefit of the church. We need to embrace the diversity within and across church communities, recognising the valuable contributions each person or church group brings to God’s table. We need to commit to supporting, encouraging and praying for fellow believers, especially the overlooked or struggling. We need to seek opportunities to work together in unity, looking for ways to use our diverse talents and perspectives to advance God’s kingdom.

So Brothers and Sisters, may we always walk in unity, love, and mutual respect, and be witnesses to the transformative power of Christ in our midst.

Practics:
During this combined service (St Francis Church and Tairua Elim Church) we discussed the hallmarks of good families and churches. In no particular order we came up with the following practical suggestions:

Giving time and attention to each other
Making and maintaining relationships
Connecting wherever possible
Being supportive of each other
Being comfortable to laugh and cry together
Being vulnerable with one another
Helping each other
Appreciating and utilising our diversity
Preparing us for the world
Tolerance, respect and forgiveness