A Family Album

Family Albums are not the same as they used to be.  Photographs in vast collections put into plastic pages sat on a bookshelf ready to be pulled down and studied again and again.  We look and laugh at the out of date cloths and hair-styles of previous decades. The filters and the embellishments that we try to paint our past with are all ripped down as photographic evidence is preserved for all to see.

Some of you may still print all your pictures and put them into books but it seems that Facebook has become our new default family album.  We see pictures in almost real time from all over the world where ever our friends and family are and are posting pictures. It’s nice but it doesn’t fulfill the same purpose as a family photo album.  When you look at a photo album you remember.  You remember the person you were, the person you wanted to become and the person you have always been. You see pictures of loved ones that have left this world and with loving pain you say goodbye again and again when we look at a family photo album.  It helps us to remember.

Family photo albums are a good crash course on family history for new members of the family.  When a new spouse joins a family a mandatory trip through the old pictures gives them some context as to what they are getting themselves into.  It is the story of your family. For many families the story starts here [holds up the bible]. The story starts here and is a streaming thread of God’s grace all the way to you and beyond. Many families can trace their family story back to this story.  The good news today is that you don’t have to be a direct biological descendant of anyone in this book to make this a part of your family history.

This is the first addition family album of the family of God. The family of God is all those whom God loves and has invited God in. The family of God is all those whom God loves and has invited God in.  The first part is already taken care of. God loves everybody. The only thing left is for us to invite God into our lives. We know God because God has come to us and revealed himself to us in the person of Jesus Christ who has freed us and rescued us by his life and his sacrifice. Even if you woke up tomorrow dazed and confused not remembering who our earthly family is. This remains your family album. Your name is written in the book of life as one who belongs to God. You will always be remembered, and you will always live on when you are in God’s family.

With that said some are blessed with an earthly family of those related by genetics. Some are blessed with an earthly family related by their common adoption by God as sons and daughters. I didn’t really recognize the blessing of my brothers and sisters in Christ as a kid. There were my parents, my siblings and my cousins and aunts and uncles. That was my family. I appreciated my family most when I was unable to see them. The first significant time I spent away from my family was in Basic training from around Memorial Day to the end of July 1990.I was very aware of the date and how much longer we had until we got to go home. I could not leave I had limited communication with my family. Those 10 weeks were not easy. I did not have the choice to leave.  I volunteered but I was bound by the law to stay and obey. I was in bondage and I missed my freedom. Those 10 weeks passed very slowly.  The same period of time now passes like a whisper. Here and gone without adequately noticing it. Which form of bondage as worse?  The kind I could see or the daily distractions that keep me from fully appreciating what I have?

Moses’ argument with God. – The passage we explored from Exodus (33:12-33) is indicative of this we strain and struggle but God is constant.  God will not conform to us. God will not be controlled by us. Moses goes through this monologue of almost complaint that God has led him into something that he is not ready for.  Moses says “if you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you. Remember that this nation is your people.”

The Lord replied, “My Presence will go without, and I will give you rest.”

That was true even before all of Moses’ worry. It doesn’t mean we shouldn’t bring our worries to God, because that is how we get through them and past them.  When we speak our worries to God and God proves to be constant and steadfast we begin to find our freedom from worry. We have many invisible chains that keep us restricted.  We have the ability to grow in Christ to break those invisible chains because we are free from the more obvious chains that hold people back.  We speak the predominant language in the land we live. There is no imminent threat of war coming to our homes. Our daughters are not being sold into slavery.  Adults have the universal right to vote. This is not true everywhere. What would Jesus have us, his followers do about that?

Jesus intent was to set people free (Ref. Luke 4:18) "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free”. When you understand this, the Gospel lesson for today becomes clear. He wanted freedom for everyone even those who were trying to trap him.

Let’s look at intent. It says in v. 15, “Then the Pharisees went out and laid plans to trap him in his words.” That was the goal. But why?  Just before this passage Jesus two parables that strongly suggest that those who thought they were the favored ones of God have been getting it wrong. The parable of the tenants which we talked about a couple weeks ago and the parable of the wedding banquet where the people came with their own agenda. The Pharisees knew Jesus meant them. Rather than hearing and growing, they decided to lay plans. Why wouldn’t they want to listen to Jesus and change? Because then they would be giving authority and deference to Jesus and that is not the order of things.  They are the ones that people defer to, not some itinerant rabbi.

So they have been hurt and offended and their power is threatened and now their plans are not to go to him and discuss with him but rather they sent their disciples and some political activists to Jesus. They started with complimenting Jesus because though the compliments may be true they serve as a distraction from discovering their true intent.  “We know you are a man of integrity and that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth.” The truth, in this case is the truth as they understand it from their teachers perspective which has been corrupted by the desire for power and control. They continue, “You aren’t swayed by men, because you pay no attention to who they are.” This seems to be a back handed compliment. The Pharisees spend a lot of time paying attention to who people are and make decisions about just who is and is not acceptable to associate with.

Then they asked him about taxes and if it is acceptable according to religious law.  You see they don’t even care about the issue they are asking about.  Their intent was born out of fear. They are in an invisible prison of their own making. They are far more concerned about maintaining power and control then they are about matters of paying taxes.

Jesus is not fooled. He sees their intent. He also sees their bondage. Remember Jesus came to set people free.

Give to Caesar what is Caesars and give to God what is God’s.  You choose what you think your loyalties are.  You retain what you think is yours and you give to God what you think belongs to God. Jesus gives us that freedom. It is the things that keep us in bondage that fools us into believing that we have anything outside of God.

So, how is it with you today? What are the invisible chains that keep you in bondage?

Is your work produced by faith? Is you labor prompted by love? Do you endure the difficulties of life because of the hope we have in our Lord Jesus Christ? These are the benefits of being part of the family of God. 

Glen and Gladys Brown