Kingdom Community

Mark 3: 31 And his mother and his brothers came, and standing outside they sent to him and called him. 32 And a crowd was sitting around him, and they said to him, “Your mother and your brothers [11] are outside, seeking you.” 33 And he answered them, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” 34 And looking about at those who sat around him, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! 35 For whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother.”
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Of course Jesus loved his mother and his brothers, but he also had a radical commitment to live in brotherhood with all mankind. I'm sure this was hard at times. When he hung on the cross and asked Peter to take his place as son to his mother, Mary, I'm sure there was intense emotional anguish. Was it worth it? For those of us who have been fortunate to experience the safety and love of a healthy family, it is hard to imagine giving it up for anything. But God calls us to lay this down, at the proper time, in order to open our families to the rest of the world. In order to do this I have to be willing to live a fairly transparent life, not always having to have it all together. But the the front doors of our homes are the side doors to the church. And conversely, the disconnected church goer has the opportunity to become reconnected to the body through home groups and intentional hospitality.