Scripture: Luke 8:19-21
Then his (Jesus’) mother and his brothers came to him, but they could not reach him because of the crowd. And he was told, “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, wanting to see you.” But he said to them, “My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it.”
Thought for the Day: Wow! If I had said what Jesus said, my mother would have washed my mouth out with soap. Well actually that wasn’t really her style, but those are pretty harsh words for a mother to hear. Yet Jesus was redefining what it meant to be family, and in his new vision, blood relative meant nothing. Instead, family is based in the call to love God and neighbor. Now I’m not encouraging people to purposely insult their relatives, but we all need to look for ways of expanding our definition of family.
Prayer: May the love I have, O Lord, never be confined to those who are my kinfolk. Give me the courage to love outside all the boundaries that attempt to limit the capacity of grace. Amen.
