Family Matters

“He said to his mother, “Dear woman, here is your son,” and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.”              

-John 19:26b-27

A wonderful surprise came via FedEx the other day. A cardboard box wrapped with white athletic tape appeared on my porch. I wondered what we ordered and why they used athletic tape to seal it. Closer inspection revealed that my younger brother sent the package. I hadn’t heard from Ray in several months. With much anticipation and excitement I opened it. Honestly, I felt very much like a small child on Christmas morning.

The package contained a maroon sweater and a hand written note. The sweater was my father’s first varsity sweater from New Bethlehem High with a football letter on it and one stripe on the sleeve. The note reminisced about conversations Dad had with Raymond as they commuted to junior high football practices. I think Dad was trying to inspire Raymond by telling him how fast and great a football player his big brother was and that if Dad had been as big and fast as Randy, nobody could have tackled him. Actually, I was not very fast and, although I loved playing football, only played intensely enough to get by.

My dad played on undefeated football teams back in the single wing days. Single wing is a football formation where the quarterback calls signals from a position close to the line and the ball is snapped directly to the running backs. Dad injured his knee when he was tackled on a break away run at the end of the last game of the season his senior year. Even though he was an All-Conference running back, he enlisted in the Navy and never played again.

As Jesus hung on the cross in the final hours of His earthly life, He thought about His human family. Mary, the Mother of Jesus, watched as her Son hung naked on a Roman cross. She watched His agony and death even as many of His followers forsook Jesus and fled. As He looked down from that cross with love at His mother and at John, Jesus commends Mary to the care of His Beloved disciple. Family matters.

Even though many of Jesus’ closest family members did not believe in Him during His lifetime (John 7:5), and even though at one point Jesus’ mother and family came to take Him home thinking He had lost His mind (Mark 3:21, 31), in the end, Jesus’ family still mattered.

Are you in a good relationship with your family? Maybe you’re not exactly on bad terms but you’re not really intimately connected. Maybe this Holy Season leading up to Easter is a good time to reconnect. I am not talking about staying in an abusive relationship or giving a manipulative and damaging person another opportunity to harm you. But, if we have neglected our family, now is the time to remember, family matters. If we have refused forgiveness and love, now may be the time to say, “I love you.” “I’m sorry,” or “I forgive you.”

As I opened the gift box from my brother and read his note, I was moved emotionally. I just completed an email to my brother Raymond. I told how much I love him and how proud of him I am. Yes, it’s true. Family matters. Is there a note or phone call you need to make?