Family Ties

"During the night, Abram divided his men to attack them and he routed them, pursuing them as far as Hobah, north of Damascus. He recovered the goods and brought back his relative Lot and his possessions, together with the women and other people." Genesis 14:16

Family Ties
by Rev. William Dohle

Family. We can't live with 'em! We can't live without 'em!

Our lives are based so much around family. We gather with them around special, and not so special, occasions. We count on them to remember things like birthdays and anniversaries. We mourn with them, laugh with them, celebrate and cry with them. They are the ones we share our lives with. And we'd do anything for them!

Even when we disagree with our family and go our separate ways, we still love them. They still mean something to us. And we would give or do anything for them, should they be in trouble.

Family has always been tight. It's tight now...and it certainly was tight at the time of Abram.

In Genesis we read of Abram's family. Himself and his nephew, Lot. Lot and Abram didn't always see eye-to-eye. They had their disagreements. And when their herdsmen couldn't get along, they separated.

"Let's part company," Abram says. "If you go to the left, I'll go to the right; if you go to the right, I'll go to the left."

Pretty reasonable, it would seem. And so the two separate, Lot going east and Abram going west. Separate...but still not apart.

For when the kings of the land rally against Sodom and Gomorrah and capture Lot, who comes to his rescue? His uncle! Abram comes to rescue Lot! And, though I'm not sure what choice words he had for his nephew, family is family. And, like most of us, we'd do anything to help family.

Our family now, though, doesn't just consist of those we're related to by blood or marriage. It's not limited to those we gather together in our family reunions with. In Christ, we are family with all Christians throughout the world. With the Christians in India we are brothers. With the Christians in Afria, we are sisters and cousins. With the Christians in Asia, we are mothers and fathers. And with all Christians everywhere, we are related in Christ Jesus.

As we extend ourselves out to our blood-and-marriage family, we extend ourselves out to them as well. With the Christians in Japan, we work to rebuild after their devastating earthquake. With the Christians in Asia, we work to supply Bibles so the word of God might be preached from their pulpits. With the Christians in South Peoria, we work for justice and peace for the residents that live just down the street. With all Christians everywhere, we strive for peace and justice so that all our nephews and nieces may be rescued from whatever has taken them captive.

Too often we concentrate our attention on only the family we have by blood or marriage. Brothers and sisters, let this not be true. May we have equal concern with those outside our family as we do for those within. May our eyes be open that we may see how we are all related and interconnected in Christ.

Family God, your servant Abram risked his life to rescue his nephew Lot from the kings that had held him captive. May we risk our lives too, not just for our immediate and extended family, but also for the family we have in you, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.