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My grandson is also my brother

“But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.” —Galatians 3:25–29

Last Sunday morning, I was privileged to watch my grandson announce his faith and be baptized. Sometimes it’s easy to recognize a moment in life that will easily become a special memory. I am proud of my grandkids often during the year, but I especially value the spiritual moments that have eternal value.

My relationship with my “grands” changes when they step into the Christian faith. I think I will always see them as my grandchildren this side of heaven. Spiritually, I now know that Merrick is also my “brother” as well as my grandson. But I can’t imagine thinking of him as a brother today. In Jesus, we are born again, which gives us a unique relationship with God and with everyone else in this world. 

Everyone on earth is either a member of your eternal family or they are not. It’s not something I think about as often as I should. What will it be like when every relationship is with a family member in heaven?

Heaven’s family

Paul was trying to teach the Galatians the truth that our faith in Jesus changes everything. Jesus was born to earth and sacrificed himself on the cross for everyone’s sins, and through faith, they were “born again.” He taught about our heavenly relationships, saying, “But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise” (Galatians 3:25–29).

Heaven’s family will not be defined by hierarchies of:

  • Race
  • Status or profession
  • Gender

Heaven’s family will be defined by:

  • Faith in Jesus Christ
  • Having the same Father as everyone else
  • Knowing we are all equally and perfectly loved

Jesus told us we were to think of our fellow Christians as our brothers and sisters in Christ. I have to believe that is just for our time on earth. I think in heaven we will simply think of everyone there as a beloved member of our family. Everyone will simply be another of God’s children. Everyone in heaven will be someone who is greatly loved by their Father, and everyone else there.

Paul’s family on earth

It’s difficult to know what kind of family relationships Paul experienced while living on earth. We know that he had a nephew, his sister’s son, who exposed the plot against him, thereby saving his life (Acts 23:16–22). Otherwise, the Bible never mentions his brothers, sisters, parents, or cousins. Some believe that because Paul was a Pharisee, he likely had a wife. Most Pharisees were married. If Paul did have a wife, did he also have children? The fact that we don’t know is not unusual. When Paul became a Christian, he would have been declared “dead” in his Jewish faith and therefore dead to his fellow Jews. If he had a wife and family who didn’t want to leave their Jewish faith, they would have been free of any legal ties to Paul.

Or Paul could have been a single man with no other close family ties. Maybe that is why Paul felt free to leave Jerusalem and hunt for Christians in Damascus. Maybe Paul didn’t feel what most fathers would feel if they were torn from their wives and children to be thrown in prison. Maybe Paul didn’t understand the horrors of his actions until later. Did Paul’s family relationships on earth impact his volatile relationships later?

Paul was single during his Christian life and ministry (1 Corinthians 7:8). That fact could have enabled him to be a missionary, entirely devoted to his calling. But Paul led a jailer to faith and then guided his entire family to faith in Christ. Paul saw women come to faith in Christ even when it threatened their relationships on earth. Paul led Timothy to faith even though Timothy’s father wasn’t in the picture. Paul saw families come to faith together, and he saw family relationships that were broken by the Christian faith. 

We can only guess about Paul’s family relationships on earth, but we know he understood and taught that our most important family was eternal. Paul wrote to the Galatians saying, “And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, ’Abba! Father!’ So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God” (Galatians 4:6–7).

Paul saw his fellow Christians as his family on earth, maybe his only family on earth. He wanted Christians to understand what he knew about our eternal family. Paul taught that because of the Holy Spirit, we are a family of faith and God is our Father, our Dad. We will all inherit the promises of heaven and see everyone in heaven as our family for all eternity. We might be slaves on earth but we are joint heirs with Jesus in heaven. 

Can we live and think today like we will live and think eternally?

As I thought about the fact that my grandson is also my brother in Christ, I realized how difficult it is to actually comprehend heavenly relationships. I have not met most of the people who read my words every week through this article, yet each Christian reader is already a member of my family. 

How should that change the way I see the people around me? Should I just expect not to comprehend eternal realities? Or, should I live, think, and pray for people as who they will one day be in heaven, or soberly, think of them knowing that the only other eternal destiny is hell?

If we consider relationships from an eternal perspective, how would they change?

My grandson is also my brother in Christ. We will have an eternal relationship as fellow children of God, our Dad. Jesus provided that relationship to us through faith. I think Jesus would like us to consider people today from that eternal perspective.

Here is what I think about our eternal relationships. Paul wrote to the Ephesians with praise to God, saying, “Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen” (Ephesians 3:20–21). 

Our relationships in heaven will be abundantly better than we could even ask for or imagine on earth. Until then, let’s work hard to experience heaven on earth as often as possible. Amen?

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Wishing you a Charlie Brown Christmas

There are very few things on television today that I watched as a kid. I was a second-grader in 1965, the year A Charlie Brown Christmas debuted. I have probably watched the thirty-minute cartoon almost every year since.

When my boys were little, we sat together as a family, ate popcorn, and enjoyed the same cartoon Jim and I had seen when we were their age. Now, my grandchildren are about the age we were in 1965, and I hope they will all have a chance to watch it as a family this year. 

Charlie Brown’s question is still ours today 

Charlie Brown and Linus were walking together to go ice skating when Charlie confessed he was a little depressed over all that the Christmas season had become. 

Snoopy had entered his doghouse in a decorating contest. Lucy wanted real estate for Christmas. Charlie Brown’s little sister Sally asked her brother to write a letter to Santa Claus for her so she could ask for everything she wanted, and it was a LONG list.  

Charlie Brown lamented to Linus about how commercialized Christmas had become. Lucy later counseled Charlie to get involved in a Christmas play to get over his depression. That job just made things even worse. His friends remained distracted and uninterested in the play. 

Charlie decided the play needed a Christmas tree, and the only real tree left on the lot left a lot to be desired. Everyone laughed at Charlie Brown’s tree. As he walked away with his head hanging, he asked, “Does anyone know what Christmas is all about?” 

Fifty-eight years later our world is still asking that question. Fifty-eight years later, the answer is still the same. 

What is Christmas all about? 

Charlie Brown and all the other kids watched Linus take the stage and lay down his blanket. A hush fell over the room as the spotlight was aimed at Linus and he recited the answer.  

What is Christmas all about?

 

“And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.  And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear.  And the angel said to them, ‘Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.  For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.  And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.’ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

‘Glory to God in the highest,
    and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!’” (Luke 2:8–14)

The Christmas message, thanks to “Sparky” 

Coca-Cola wanted to sponsor a Christmas program. As one meeting led to another, the ad agent for Coca-Cola met with the man who had produced the Peanuts special, Lee Mendelson. Mendelson had worked with animator Bill Melendez and “Sparky,” otherwise known as Charles Schulz. The rest is history. 

They worked on possible themes and settled on the commercialization of Christmas. They were trying to develop an ending for the cartoon when Schulz recommended the reading from the book of Luke. In a wonderful article written by Jean Schulz, Charles’ wife, she provided the reason why God’s word made it into a Christmas cartoon. 

She wrote, “It was also in the early 1960s that Sparky was teaching adult Sunday school at the Sebastopol Methodist Church, so the suggestion for Linus to read the quotation of the Christmas Story from St. Luke was a natural one for Sparky. When Bill said that that wasn’t done in a cartoon, Sparky answered him by simply saying (and he quoted it frequently later), “If we don’t, who will.” 

In 1965 the cartoon was scheduled to air. Coca-Cola was disappointed in their investment. CBS reportedly hated it and predicted it would be a flop. Fifteen million people watched it that first year. Bonanza would be the only show with a higher audience.  

Fifty-eight years later, the “flop” is now being seen by its third generation. Every Christmas those words from the book of Luke are heard by millions of people. Sparky’s Christmas witness continues to this day. 

“If we don’t, who will?” 

Aren’t we grateful for “Sparky” Schulz? Aren’t we glad his wife gave us the inside story to the wonderful Christmas cartoon? 

I think if Charles Schulz could make a cartoon about Christmas today, he would still end it the same way, for the same reason.  

This Christmas I want to remember his motivation for all that I do. I want to make sure others hear about the true message of Christmas. Will you join me? 

Because “if we don’t, who will?” 

Luke 2:14 

Linus quoted from the King James Version of the Bible saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.” I’d like to close this post with Luke 2:14 from the ESV. That version says, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” 

The difference in the translations speaks a message to each of us. The ESV is clear. God’s favor, God’s peace, will be among those with “whom he is pleased.” Let’s follow Sparky’s witness this year and speak God’s word to people who need to hear it. A lot of people need to remember what Christmas is all about.  

If we won’t tell them, who will? 

May God find favor with us this Christmas season and give us his peace as we share his glory. 

Amen?

Tired joy

The kids pulled out of the driveway, headed for home after a great Memorial Day weekend. Our oldest son, Ryan, and his family were with us at the lake for the holiday. There was hiking, swimming, water-gun fights, chasing butterflies, gathering wildflowers, playing at the playground, and even a few fireworks to end the day.

We ate BBQ, hotdogs, pancakes, and watermelon and made ice-cream sundaes. The kids drove the golf cart, or at least thought they were driving it, all weekend. And, I killed a snake—but that’s a whole different blog post.

Now, our little house is decorated with sticky handprints that I’m happy to look at for a couple of days. The dishwasher, washing machine, and dryer are hard at work while I type this blog post to you all.

My favorite kind of joy

I took some time to read my youngest son’s First15 devotion before I began to type. His words gave me the thoughts I wanted to share with you all today.

In Monday’s devotional, he wrote: “You and I were not created solely for this world. Our home is with our heavenly Father in heaven. Unceasing joy comes from living with the perspective of God rather than the world. Rejoicing comes from trusting that our God is perfectly loving, perfectly real, and perfectly powerful.”   

Note to my readers: If you don’t read Craig’s First15 devotionals, you should. He is my son. He does work for our ministry. I am unabashedly proud of both my boys and impossibly biased, so don’t take my word for it; you will find plenty of others who share my opinion. It is GOOD reading and an excellent way to start your day!  

I read Craig’s devotion about the unceasing, unshakeable joy that God’s presence provides and I knew what I wanted to write about: tired joy. Tired joy is how I define the weary contentment I feel after finishing a wonderful and busy time doing something I love. It is my favorite kind of tired.  

My favorite kind of joy is the tired joy I feel when I spend time with busy, happy, hungry kids and grandkids and then enjoy the quiet calm of time alone after they are gone. Tired joy is a great joy.

It’s the tired we feel after:

  • A busy holiday weekend with family and friends you love.
  • A mission trip or time of service with people the Lord has called you to love.
  • Completing a project or job that has taken a lot of hours to accomplish.

I’m sure you can think of other examples of tired joy—we all have them.

When Jesus was weary

Matthew 14 describes Jesus sitting in a quiet place on the mountain when his disciples came looking for him. Jesus had just performed many miracles, including the feeding of the five thousand, even though he was grieving the death of his cousin, John the Baptist.

Jesus was weary in body and soul and needed to retreat and pray. The crowds were increasing and so were their expectations. John 6:15 says, “Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself.” When the disciples found him, Jesus sent them ahead and, later, in the middle of the night, walked on water to join them.

I think Jesus understood tired joy.

He was fulfilling the call that he had chosen for his life. He was succeeding, and people were beginning to understand he was their Messiah. But, Jesus was fully human as well as fully God. He chose to understand all the feelings that you and I feel. Jesus chose to feel tired joy. It is a choice for us as well.

Where unceasing joy begins

I hope you had a special Memorial Day weekend. I hope your week is filled with moments you will enjoy. But, for all of us, it is good to plan for the tired joy that comes as a result of spending time enjoying and serving people we love and people we are called to love.

Craig also wrote, “Unceasing joy comes from living with the perspective of God rather than the world.” I love that thought, and I love the one who wrote it. I smile at the many hours of my life that he and his brother provided me with tired joy at the end of a day. I share God’s perspective: we adore our kids.

Tired joy is one of my favorite joys in this life. We have so many ways to serve God and others. Rest is simply for the time in between.  I wish you a busy, productive, and blessed week. I wish you tired joy.