May 13th

Family and Familia

To my dear TFMC family,

For four years, I have addressed you as my "family." For some, this was likely just a sentimental salutation. For others, perhaps it gave you pause. For still others, you may have read right over it. I used the term intentionally, though lately, I’ve wondered if I need to rewrite it.

This morning, while preparing for our book study, I encountered a crucial distinction between "family" and "familia." The author reflects on Jesus’ challenging words in Luke 12:51–53:

“⁵¹ Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, I have come instead to bring division. ⁵² From now on, a household of five will be divided—three against two and two against three. ⁵³ Father will square off against son and son against father; mother against daughter and daughter against mother; and mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.” 

The argument is that our North American understanding of "family"—often limited to the nuclear unit under one roof—misses the point. For immigrants and many other cultures, familia is far more expansive. It transcends biology. It is the ever-widening circle of connections formed throughout life: people committed to sharing life and ensuring one another’s flourishing. It is a belonging that moves beyond birth or marriage into the realm of chosen kinship.

As a church, I believe our relationships are less about "family" in the biological sense and more about familia. We call ourselves "siblings in Christ" for a reason. It is through Christ that we are joined, bound by a common commitment to follow His way. This commitment may, as Jesus warned, put us at odds with our biological ties.

Perhaps that is exactly what Jesus was telling us: choosing to live the "Jesus way" may disrupt the relationships we take for granted, none more so than those of blood. Yet, in that disruption, we find a new familia—the Body of Christ. We are drawn together not by DNA, but by our shared devotion to Christ and the living out of God’s dream.

This truth has resonated deeply with me today. I’ve been surprised at how this topic has come up in various conversations today. It surfaced during thoughts of the Neufeld Family Reunion. One hundred years ago, my ancestors left Soviet Russia for North America seeking a new life. In just four generations, that small family grew and morphed into a larger familia; we look very different from that family that immigrated in 1926. 

Similarly, our congregation, founded 225 years ago, has expanded from a small group of families into the community we are today. I think about the diverse congregations within our MCEC Cluster.  In preparing for our joint cluster worship service, I am reminded that we form a familia held together by the branches of Christ’s family tree.

We are familia de Dios, the family of God. Connected by and through Christ, our bond may not be of blood, but it is just as tight. The church is more than a social covenant; it is a call to share life together, bound by love that transcends the biological.

Yours, 

Craig Janzen Neufeld, Pastor