Family

Over two years ago, I was sitting in a hospital waiting room with my father as we anxiously awaited news on my mother’s surgery. The surgeon came into the room and informed us that Mom was hanging on by a thread and the next twenty-four hours were critical. For three days, we waited as her life hung in the balance. Thankfully, Mom pulled through and recovered. Many prayers were offered on her behalf, and the Lord was gracious in answering them.

My dad and I spent long hours together in the hospital waiting room during those days, but what made that time most memorable was our church family. My Dad is a gospel minister and has labored with the same group of people for over forty years. One night, I looked across the waiting room, and it was filled with people from my home church. They were there night and day, praying, waiting, and comforting. I marveled at all the people in the waiting room and considered how different they were. They came from all walks of life, some wealthier, some poorer, some with college degrees, and some educated by the school of hard knocks. What created a group like this? Why would people with busy lives and differing backgrounds spend hours in a hospital waiting room with people not related by blood? Another way to ask these questions is to ask what makes the church the church.

One clear answer to those queries is the gospel of Jesus Christ. The gospel changes people and molds them into a new family and existence. The good news of Christ is that we are all sinners in need of grace and forgiveness, and while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. It is the great leveler of all things because sin crosses all socioeconomic boundaries. Paul states, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). All means all, whether rich, poor, consequential, or weak; we have all sinned and need the grace of Jesus. Church is where we truly become what we are supposed to be. Our church family is where we come to share in the grace of Jesus, encouraging one another as we await the coming of our Lord—those nights in the hospital waiting room reminded me of the great gift of being a part of Christ’s church. My family shared life with those people, buried loved ones together, celebrated the birth of babies together, and rejoiced at the baptisms of our children and friends. We were so different by the world’s standards, but we were indeed a family molded together by the power of the Holy Spirit and the love of Christ, a much stronger bond than genetics.

I cannot wait to meet my new church family at Riverchase. Many of you don’t know me, but we already have so much in common; we have a common savior in Jesus and the common goal of Heaven. I am humbled to be able to be your minister and look forward to the things God has in store for us together as his family at Riverchase.