God's
great gift of family
by:
Pastor Dan M. Appel
I am blessed with a terrific family. A bit odd at times. But, a terrific family none-the-less!
My maternal grandfather lived most of his life under an alias. It took me years to track down his real name. But, when I did, I discovered a whole bunch of relatives I never knew I had. Unfortunately, family history on that particular branch of the family tree quickly disappears into the fog of Polish/German Bohemia without a trace.
On my father's side, one of my great-great-grandfathers emigrated from somewhere (it is speculated from his name to be somewhere in the British Isles - and who knows, maybe he stowed away on a ship. There are family rumors about something to do with sailoring ), married an Indian maid, it is believed in Canada, and eventually moved west to Washington State. She, not because of her ethnic background but just by virtue of her particular personality, was known to be as mean as a snake. We have never been able to trace any family history on any of them.
One of my other paternal grandfathers was the son of an alcoholic, raised by relatives all of whom are dead and who left no family records. We have no idea what part of Germany the family emigrated from or when. Again, the mists of time quickly obscure any records. He became a famous missionary to China and the Middle East. My grandfather's family and his brother's cannot even agree on how their last name is to be pronounced - a source of good-natured banter at what few family reunions we have.
Another part of my father's family are good Scotsmen. They have been traced clear back to 8 red headed, red bearded young men who fought in the Revolutionary War. At least that one branch of the family tree is not stunted and broken off after only a generation.
Back to my mother's family. There are a couple of branches there that we also are able to trace back quite a ways - again to the British Isles. I am glad that somebody cared enough to keep records.
Along the way as I have tried to trace my lineage, I have discovered a fair share of rogues (most of whom are crazy enough to warrant a certain amount of family pride), some prominent figures (well, at least one - Sam Houston), and a whole lot of very good ordinary people living out their lives in integrity and some semblance of normalcy. A good share of both sides of my family are rugged individualists, fiercely independent, extremely loyal, for the most part bright and people of strong will and conviction - (o.k. some would spell that stubborn). Most were good neighbors and contributing members of society. The vast majority have a good sense of humor which they turn on themselves as often as they do on others.
I like my family! There is lots of variety, a goodly share of personality types, some real characters, and enough varying genes to insure that in-breeding is not an issue. They came to mind the other day as I was thinking of God's next Great Gift to mankind. He created his human creatures to be His children. He gave them a likeness like His very own. He created them with personality and the power to make intelligent and informed decisions.
When humanity chose to rebel against their Heavenly Father and to leave the family, God never gave up on us. He pursues us gently and relentlessly with the offer of pardon and restoration to the family. Over again in the Holy Bible God offers to adopt us back into His family. He offers to be a Father to us and to give us all of the privileges of His children.
When we accept His gracious offer, we discover that we are instantly part of a spiritual family that stretches around the world. Granted, some of those family members are still pretty human - God is still in the process of re-creating His character in them - but they are still family. Down through the years God's family has had it's share of rogues. You'll meet many of them in the Bible or at your local church. The members of God's family come in all colors and personalities with all kinds of gifts and skills. Some are easy to get along with; others are more prickly. But they all have one thing in common. They love God and have surrendered their lives to Him. They have accepted the freely offered gift of His grace and forgiveness and pardon and are waiting for His soon return to planet earth.
I enjoy God's family - most of the time. Just as I have relatives that occasionally rub me the wrong, so I have brothers and sisters in God's family who can be irritating. Come to think of it, they may have one who rubs them the wrong way to. I am proud of them. And I am proud that the God who created and sustains the universe is my Dad. I am proud of His amazing grace towards rebels. In spite of their idiosyncracies, I enjoy them. I enjoy spending time with them in worship and recreation and fellowship. It's great to belong and to know that I am loved in spite of all my failings. It is exciting to know that I have a heritage, a family tree that stretches clear back to Adam and Eve in the very beginning.
I can't wait for that incredible family reunion that God promises is going to take place soon - when all of those who have loved God down through history all are going to be restored.
I'd like to invite you to become a part of the family too. If you'd like to know how, why not drop me a note, or better yet, drop by and visit us some Sabbath. Sharing about God and His love for you is one of the most meaningful things we can do.
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