Held together by love

I sometimes think we overplay the image of the church as ‘family’. After all, the definition of family allows so many interpretations now which would not have been the case in ages past. Not only that, but it is an image little used by the New Testament. Images there are organic, such as the body, rather than familial. The word from which ‘fellowship’ is derived can be used in modern Greek to mean the steel band placed around  packing crate to stop it breaking apart in transit – a strong image in every way.

There are times, though, when the church feels like a family. Having announced my impending move last week,  a 6-year old in the church presented me with the image below just before yesterday’s service started. On the back it says “Dear Richard. I am sorry you are leaving, love from…” The artist concerned is someone whom I held in my arms a few days after she was born and whose dedication service I conducted a few months later. She is a regular participant in enacted stories at the front of the church and it has been an inestimable privilege to care for her family. Her artwork will be a treasure to be kept and kept.

Sometimes, despite the ambiguities, church really does feel like family…

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