Show Up For Church, End Up With Family: 3 Similarities Between the Church and Your Family Thanksgiving
We recently visited a church in Columbus, Ohio. As soon as we entered the building there were big words painted on the wall that read, “Show Up For Church, End Up With Family”. I’ve been thinking a lot about that statement. After all, that’s why we do what we do, right? That’s why you do what you do, isn’t it? To give people the opportunity to join the family of God? Ephesians 2:18-19 says, “For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God.” But the idea of a congregation being a “household” isn’t always top of mind. In fact, I wonder how it would change our perspective of the people we serve if we regularly replaced the word “congregation” with “family.”
I think that’s why I liked the phrase on the church wall: “Show up for church, end up with family”. There’s something about the simplicity of that journey in the life of the believer that’s a bit jolting and even convicting. As I’ve reflected on this phrase this Thanksgiving season, I’ve found 3 similarities between the Church and your family Thanksgiving:
There is anticipation of a deeper purpose.
Like your family Thanksgiving, there’s anticipation to gather (hopefully :)). The food, the games, the conversations. There’s a desire and an expectation to create memories and make deeper connections. The anticipation of our Church gathering should be similar. The reason we gather as believers isn’t just to gain a couple of tid bits to apply to our personal lives. It isn’t even just to sing a few of our favorite worship tunes (though singing is a vital part of our corporate worship). Another reason we gather is be a part of the “members of the household of God” (Eph. 2:19). It’s a family. A family that carries each other’s burdens (Gal. 6:2), confesses sin to one another and prays for one another (James 5:16). So a few questions to consider: Are you giving your church body a chance to do these things? Are you giving them easy on ramps to be a part of your family? Are there barriers that are holding people back from becoming a part of the family? During weekly gatherings, is there more anticipation to come watch something or be a part of something?
There are many unique members acting as a single unit.
From Aunt Suzie to Uncle John to little Timmy and beyond, there are many unique characters around the Thanksgiving table. Each is different and some family members may even be harder to get a long with, but when everyone is present the family is complete. As much as you don’t want to hear another year of Aunt Carol’s opinion of the hottest political topic, Thanksgiving just wouldn’t be the same without her, wouldn’t it? In the same way the Church is made up of many parts to form one body (1 Cor. 12:14-26). Each member serves a purpose. Each member is valued. I wonder if each member of your church feels that way? Do they understand how their part contributes to the whole? Are their gifts being maximized to serve the broader mission of the Church? Each is unique, but equal in importance and called by God (2 Tim 1:9).
There is realization that time is fleeting.
I don’t know about you but every year I gather with family, I can’t help but think of how quickly all of the kids are growing up, or how “mature in years” some of our relatives are becoming. Maybe a loved one has recently passed away and Thanksgiving is a reminder of their absence. During Thanksgiving I find there to be sobering undertones that our time together on earth is temporal. We should have this same sense of reality in our Church family as well. This world and all of our material possessions will pass away, but what we do for eternity will last forever. We’ve been given our marching orders in the Great Commission (Matthew 28) to “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations…”. I’m also reminded of the Parable of the Ten Virgins (Matt. 25) and to “stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming” (Matt 24:42). As a Church, there should be a sense of urgency not complacency, readiness not sleepiness, and intentionality not idleness. Is your church characterized by these words? Is there an ongoing awareness that eternity is near and that the time is waning?
Let this Thanksgiving remind us that we are a part of a larger family beyond flesh and bone, and that as we “show up for church” we are engaging in a living, breathing organism that is responsible for spreading the hope for humankind. I pray this Thanksgiving you would lean in harder, engage more intentionally, and increase your awareness of the spiritual family you are a part of and be a conduit to allow others to do the same.
Happy Thanksgiving!
- From the Rukes Team
