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A faithful presence of love in the absences of our city.

Covenant Family

When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home. –John 19: 26-27

In January I gave birth to my third child, an amazing, beautiful baby boy. This Sunday our son will be baptized and we look forward to that moment when he will become part of God’s covenant family. This covenant family is so much bigger and more diverse than our little family of five in Albuquerque, New Mexico. It spans continents and generations.

As a member of 21st century middle class America, family is one of the most precious things in my life. Often, it’s an idol. The health, wealth, and happiness of my children and husband are so valuable to me that I am not willing to step out and help others in need. I regularly forget the extensive family God has given us in the church and called us to love and serve. I neglect to teach my children that their church family is filled with brothers and sisters that we should love and care for as we do our own family.

I grew up in a wonderful, Christian home, but since the age of 18 I have lived far away from my immediate family. I have not been able to lean on my family for needs both big and small as I could if they lived down the road. But I’ve been able to experience the beauty of my church family, which has helped me in every city I have lived in. They have taken care of physical needs, feeding my family and me when we’ve had newborns in our home, given us money to visit family when my husband and I were newly married and helped us move (so much moving!). And when I’ve needed someone to weep with, they have been there to cry, or someone to rejoice with, they are ready to party.

God calls us to a beautiful, eternal family that knows no geographic, political, gender, generational, or racial barriers. Let’s love and serve this covenant family as our own and teach our children to do the same. Imagine what the world would say about the church if they could see this!

~ Chelsea Collins 

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