Hi everyone,
The other day (well, actually it was many days ago), I was writing an email to my extended family and at the end of it, it came time to sign our names at the bottom. Now, most of you know that my nuclear family now consists of 5 of us (my wife, 3 kids, and me), and I thought it’d be best to sign off with all of us.
I should also say that I’m a fan of alliteration so often I would string a bunch of words that start the same letter or sound together (which is the exact definition of alliteration).
So when I signed this email, I put everyone’s name with a description of them in brackets. It looked like this:
Wife (the baker), oldest child (the brain), second child (the brave), youngest child (the baby), and me (the best).
I showed the kids and they rolled their eyes at me. I don’t know why, I thought it was pretty accurate. I never did send that email.
Here are the readings for next week:
Isaiah 65:1-9
Psalm 22:19-28
Galatians 3:23-29
Luke 8:26-39
And a video of them being read:
These texts that we get for next week seem to talk a lot about identity. Who we are, who we were, and who we can be. And I think above all, who we might see ourselves as, which as we probably know, can be wildly different from who we really are (or who others see us as).
I mean we have people who have a very high image of themselves, think that they should always be the center of attention when they actually shouldn’t be. And on the flip side, we have those who think very lowly of themselves, and shy away from any kind of recognition of their gifts and accomplishments. And then we have those who have a pretty accurate view of themselves, and perhaps even try to sign emails with descriptions to that effect.
But in the middle of all these identity crises or misunderstandings, is God. In God, we are given the identity of forgiven, made to be saints, children of God. This is something we might not always see or recognise, but it is who we are.
Sometimes people won’t see it in themselves. Often we don’t see it in others. But it is important to remember and honour this identity, as it informs us of how we regard each other, ourselves, and basically anyone that we encounter.
It is a privilege and gift to be called children of God! And may we see it in ourselves and in all people, that we might work together to be faithful to our calling, to our community, and to our identity!
Thanks be to God! Have a great week, everyone!