Family Matters

For Sylvia and me this has been another family summer. We drove from Texas to Illinois, accompanied by our daughter Cheryl Lee, to a family reunion on Sylvia's side of the family. My son Nathan flew in to join us for the weekend. Cousins from Alaska to Texas, Nebraska to New York and many states in between, gathered to link together and share memories. Below is an old photo of Grandma and Grandpa and their sons and daughters. All the cousins can trace themselves back to this old picture through their parents or grandparents.

As you can see, this photo dates back to the beginning of the 20th century, to a time when taking a picture was a big deal. Notice how the family members have on their best clothes, the girls in their pretty dresses, the boys in their knickers, white shirts and ties. One can just imagine the big box camera attached to a sturdy wood tripod with the photographer centering upon the front door of the porch and saying, "Everybody look my way. Hold it. Hold it. Got it!" I don't think anyone ever smiled for a photo in those days. It was too serious an event.

This and similar photos were spread out on tables for all the cousins to see. "Now let's see," John said, pointing to the old picture, "This is my dad and that is your mom."

Some of us are now writing back and forth by email, wondering how we can preserve that brief weekend together in our memories. We've started a family website on My Heritage.com. We hope to fill out the birthday, wedding and funeral dates, as well as add more photos.

Family matters. Maintaining ties to our families is a big deal. This was confirmed in our family on that weekend. God's Word emphasizes this also. Again and again we read about who was the father of whom and who married whom. The whole long, complex history of our families is foretold in the opening chapters as the LORD sends Adam and Eve out from the garden of Eden (Genesis 2:1-3:24).

They would no longer be allowed to eat from the tree of life and live forever. They made a fatal choice to disobey the command not to eat the forbidden fruit. As a result they became aware of evil, the dark contrast to the bright, good life they had known prior to their sin. A curse would now be upon the very earth from which they had come. In addition to the plants that provide food, they would have to battle thorns and thistles.

They would still have children. That promise was not removed. But all the daughters of Eve would have pain multiplied in the wondrous act. And the battle of the sexes was about to begin.

As we gathered this summer, I became aware again that our family shares this history. We smiled and laughed, recalled childhood events and told stories about family events. But beneath it are also painful memories of divorce, sickness, suffering, conflict and even murder. It was all there, but we did our best to not focus on these matters. This was meant to be a happy time

One other thing was there—or should I say One other person was there? Most of us cousins share a faith that can be traced all the way back to those fateful events in the garden when the LORD spoke a curse upon the deceiving serpent and a promise to all the offspring of Adam and Eve.

I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel"(Genesis 3:15). 

That promise was fulfilled when Jesus of Nazareth, offspring of the virgin Mary, stepped into the family of man, to take to himself the curse we all yet bear. As a tree was involved in the story of our sickness and death, so also a tree was involved in our healing. The Apostle Peter puts it this way:

"He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed" (1 Peter 2:21-25).

Family matters, not only to us, but especially to our Father in heaven. Because He was willing to sacrifice His Son, we look forward to celebrating all the good things about our family in the glory that awaits in the renewal of all things (1 Corinthians 2:7-10).