Health Promotion Sunday: Devotions

March 2001

Dear Church Leader,

The theme for Health Promotion Sunday 2001 is "Celebrating Family." For most of us, family is where we are most profoundly shaped in our faith, values, self-understanding, etc. It is, or should be, a safe and nurturing place that provides refuge from a world that is all too often cold and indifferent. Family is a place where we belong, filled with people who we love and by whom we are loved.

Jesus certainly challenged the popular notion of family for his day (Matthew 12:48-50) indicating that those who do the will of God are his family. This challenge continues to confront us today. It is in the spirit of confronting this challenge that we present the meditations that follow this message.

The meditations included in this packet are primarily directed toward your board and committees, and are intended to stimulate and inspire the way we view family. However, they are perfectly appropriate for any group or individual to use. They remind us that the comfortable and conventional definitions of our culture (even our faith culture) don't always work when it comes to understanding family and that the church has the opportunity and responsibility to reach out to all its member families providing support and care where it is so needed.

Staff of the Association of Brethren Caregivers

Throughout 23 years of pastoral ministry, I have been impressed over and over again by the number of persons who enter adult life bearing deep scars and clutching "family secrets." The fellow who lost his loving wife and children because of a gambling addiction. The salesman whose alcohol addiction killed him, but not before destroying his family relationships, and robbing him of his spirit and self-esteem. The young adult professional woman still living at home because her sexually abusive father intimidated her into staying. The young man whose heroin addiction caused him to lose everything. The unwed couple who gave birth to an addicted child. The woman whose eating disorders were secreted — not just from friends, but even from those with whom she lived. The victim of ritualistic abuse who turned to self-mutilation as an adult. The numerous children of troubled or divorced parents whose emotional confusion became most disabling. The list goes on and on.

A Harvard Divinity School professor used to tell his students "the secret secretes." That is to say, the inner emotional turmoil resulting from trauma, abuse, neglect, dependence or co-dependence "oozes" into every aspect of one's life. The secret is never as "safe" as one might think. If the church is truly to be more of a "hospital for sinners" than a "rest home for saints," families must be able to approach the church — its ministers, its members, its agencies — for safe haven and compassion, the very gifts Jesus offered to those who approached him.

Over the years, members of the ministry team where I now serve became aware of Brethren in our fellowship as well as Brethren in nearby congregations who struggled with the issue of sexual orientation, either for themselves or for those whom they love. Last year, we began to host a support group for families and friends of gays and lesbians, providing trusting space where believers can explore their feelings, their thoughts, their faith. Whether they are concerned about a son or a daughter, a nephew, niece, or a friend, these persons needed to talk about the impact of their relative or friend's same-sex attraction. Its affects range from low self-esteem as parents, confused relationship as friends, or their alienation from judgmental, condemning Christians. These themes invite venting and exploration.

Closing Prayer
Caring God, your Word tells us that the Spirit intercedes for us with sighs too deep for words. When we become aware of persons suffering from unspeakable psychic pain or unspoken emotional suffering, give us eyes to read between the lines of their lives, and ears to hear their unuttered cries for help. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.

I'm not the typical family. I don't have that idyllic appearance that catches the eyes of members of a congregation that promises growth for the future youth group or new members for the young marrieds. I come to church so that I can worship with a gathered community. I walk in looking for a space in which I can be comfortable for the next hour or so. A space that is inviting because I've gotten "that look" from someone I know or someone new to me who is inviting me into their space, or at least a spot that doesn't look like it will intrude on someone else's place in the pews. Much of the time I have little alternative but seeking the latter, and unless I have taken the initiative to walk through and greet the pastor, very few members (if anyone) have spoken to me much less welcomed me. My viewpoint is not unique as I speak as a single person without family. Many churches think of themselves as a family, specifically the family of God, yet they struggle with what to do with or how to accept those of us who don't fit into the traditional family mold.

In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus has a long list of instructions for the disciples as he prepares them for their ministry. In his instructions, he shares many things that they should and should not do, of what they might encounter and how they should deal with it, and of always remembering that the Spirit of God is why they are doing what they are doing. His last point, the point he wanted them to remember the most because good teachers always end with what they want their students to remember, has to do with hospitality, with welcoming each other as if they were welcoming Jesus himself. He equates welcoming with offering "a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple," in the name of God. Jesus' instructions don't say anything about welcoming someone only if they fit a certain model. No, he says that "whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me." I invite you to be the "whoever" that welcomes those of us that don't necessarily fit the ideal parishioner family model. I encourage you to be the one who offers a cup of cold water to those of us that have been parched by the church.

Closing Prayer
Help us God to hear Jesus' words to be a welcoming presence to all. Help us to be the ones who extend a hand, an encouraging word, a cup of cold water to those that are parched. Help us to be a welcoming family.

No one ever plans to be a divorced single parent. During my childhood, I figured when I grew up, I would get married, have children and work. Never did I consider that 30 years later I would be divorced and raising my three children alone. Being divorced and a single parent wasn't planned. It takes a considerable amount of work to be the breadwinner, house manager, mom and dad to three children. Though it was more difficult to be a part of a marriage that wasn't functional, it is a challenge to parent alone. As a single parent, I have had lessons in living with healthy humility and in how to live by faith.

Jesus said, "come to me, all you who labor and I will give you rest ." This is especially comforting, after my many attempts to do it all — balance the schedule and budget without monumental errors — had failed. No matter how I work at it, I am one limited individual who can give only so much to my children. There's always that struggle between working two jobs to compensate for the lack of child support, and then having less time to spend with my children. Or the conflicted feelings I have of gratitude for my extended family for filling in when I can't be there and the nagging feeling of shame for needing so much. And there's the loss of that dream of giving my children a better life, realizing they must struggle too (they must learn how to live without their father.)

"Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls." There is a question of whether a painful event is the worst or best thing that can happen to us. Such as, the reality that "I can't parent alone." And isn't it when we live with this reality, that the best can happen for us and to our children" For many of us, pride holds us back from confessing this simple truth, "we are not supposed to do it alone!" We are to reach out spiritually, taking Christ's yoke and follow him. We are to reach out to our families, friends, and churches and develop a larger sense of what it means to belong to a family.

"For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." Faith and our church families can help make our loads lighter. As a single parent, the church has been especially significant for my two sons and daughter who have been abandoned by their own father, yet adopted by willing and committed adults to mentor to them. There have been the anointing services used for healing, especially one service for giving my children a chance to say goodbye when it was clear that my children would not be seeing their dad. There were countless hours I spent with the pastor working through divorce recovery issues. There has been the ongoing support of my church friends and my prayer group in helping me to keep a perspective that it is hard enough to parent, but especially hard to parent alone. Then there are the friendships that my children have with their church friends. These friendships have been more significant than their friendships in school. These relationships have helped my teenaged son, when so many of his friends at school and in the neighborhood are experimenting with drugs and alcohol. And lastly, my church family never treated me as inferior because I am divorced.

In our faith journey, we are called to move beyond pride into acceptance that we need help in parenting our children. Whether you are a single parent or have a spouse helping you, we must all learn to accept that sometimes the best we can do is be open to help from God, from our extended families, and from our church families.

Closing Prayer
Dear God, help us to overcome our pride and belief that we should be able to parent alone. Show us how to be open to parenting our children with you as our guide with our families and church families in support. Help us to find rest and to lighten our burdens . . . . Amen.

"We are still a family," I found myself saying to just about anyone and everyone with whom I talked about my divorce. In fact, I had written it in letters which I gave each of my children the night before their father and I were to separate. I wanted to assure them that even though we would not all be living in the same house, we could still call ourselves a "family."

But I'm not sure I believed it at the time, and I know my children didn't. How can you call yourself a family when a covenantal relationship between a husband and wife is breaking up — when the two people who created that family entity are no longer going to live together? It is a struggle in comprehension and belief that, even four years later, is not completely over for me.

The grief that results from the break-up of a marriage is profound. Not only does the old image of a family as mother/father/children have to die, but a new, acceptable image must arise in order for healing to take place. I wasn't prepared for so much letting go of hopes and dreams and disappointments.

I was blessed that there were people within my church family to whom I was able to cling for support. As one image of family was dying right before my eyes, another was taking root and helping my heart and soul to heal. Not everyone is as fortunate. It is tragic that many people going through divorce leave the church because they feel judged and abandoned. For me, however, a significant part of my healing and new understanding of "family" came about as the light of Christ's love shone within my Brethren brothers and sisters.

Healing, like the word family, does not mean perfection. It is a process that begins with accepting myself and my relationships — imperfections and all — as God accepts me. I began to comprehend the sometimes incomprehensible fact that I am compassionately, passionately, and unconditionally loved by my Creator as I experienced that love through those who surrounded me and held the Christ-light for me during some very dark nights.

I believe that it is God's will that we be bound together in love and commitment to one another. According to Jesus, doing God's will gives us the right to call ourselves "brother," "sister," "mother." My brothers and sisters, who showed their love and commitment to me, certainly were my family. It is also the mutual love and commitment between me and my children and my children and their father that allows us [still!] to call ourselves a family. Family! Yes, by God's grace and mercy, we are!

Closing Prayer
Loving God, help us to celebrate the joy of family wherever we find love and commitment. Forgive us when we cannot commit as faithfully to relationships as we should. Thank you for redeeming our brokenness through your unconditional, sacrificial love. As vessels of this love, help us support and sustain those experiencing separation and divorce. Through your Spirit, may we embody the image of family as you desire it for us. Amen.

At the 1980 fall General Board meeting at which I was a district visitor, I was asked by the worship planner if I would share some thoughts on the way Cleona and I experienced God's love through the death of our daughter, Carol. I was stunned for a moment. What was I being asked to do? Surely I had misunderstood. I asked for clarification. No, I had heard it right the first time. "How had God's love been made manifest to us in Carol's death?" That was the question. Not at all sure that I could complete the assignment, I agreed to work at it during the evening and then share my thoughts along with others who had experienced God's love in other ways in the next morning's worship.

That morning I spoke of my total inability to conceive of Carol's death. I had asked, "How could she die! Isn't God all powerful? Doesn't God any longer intervene in daily life? What is one to understand regarding the prayers of the righteous? How does one interpret that "all things work together for good . . ."? What does it mean that "whatever we ask in Christ's name will be granted." My faith required me to believe that God would heal her illness. I had "put all my eggs in one basket." But she didn't recover — why, I still don't know, but I have not found it helpful to continue with that question. It will continue to be a mystery.

But this I know! While there had been prayers for Carol, there were also prayers for David, her husband and Robbie, her son, as well as prayers for Cleona and me. There were prayers for our strength and comfort, for stronger faith and trust in God. Those prayers were and continue to be answered in the greatest abundance as I am painfully yet joyfully led into a deeper understanding of God's love for his children, as I struggle to make prayer meaningful in my own life and as I gain insights into what it means that God works for good in everything.

In those brief remarks that morning I was able to thank the gathered community, representative of the church for their prayers, for being the conduit of God's love to our family. Recounting this experience here allows me to extend the expression of my gratefulness to the wider church community.

Closing Prayer
Thank you, God, for those who are able to feel deeply the needs of those about them and are willing to become as Christ to those in need of comfort and support. Grant that through our own experiences that we may in turn be willing to share the grief of others. Amen.

Jesus calls us to give up a great deal. Then he promises that we will receive even more. If we will give up our isolation as individuals and immediate families, losing the measure of control that separateness seems to afford us, we can receive the gift of family and community with many sisters and brothers. If we give up our hold on private property, the resources available to us are multiplied.

Rachel and I have been blessed with a longing for Christian community; we have also been blessed with the experience of community in several forms and places. Since 1985 we have shared a seven-acre home place with Arlene and Cliff Kindy. For most of that time Cliff's parents, Dean and June Kindy have lived here also. As four daughters (two Kindy, two Gross) grew up in this three-household home, they experienced the added blessing of other adults who knew them, cared about them, nurtured them.

We share tools and trucks, computers and cooking pots. We share a meal together each week, at which stories have been shared of experiences in discipleship from every continent, as well as in our own home town of North Manchester, Indiana. These stories are shared by all three generations among us, as well as by beloved guests who grace our fellowship. We are all enriched by this sharing of our thoughts and experiences, and we are challenged as well. All four of our daughters, now ranging from 18 to 22 in age, have embarked upon paths of service and simplicity, justice and peacemaking. We humbly thank God for their concern for others and for the values they have made their own, as well as for their individuality.

This blessing of Christian community can come to us in many forms. It can be very real and concrete on the local level, in shared households or in congregations where mutual accountability and mutual sharing are practiced. It can also be found in the wider church, if we open ourselves to significant engagement with others. On Earth Peace Assembly, the branch of the Church of the Brethren which I know best, seeks to serve congregations, families, individuals and the whole church. Opportunities for growth in Christian discipleship, especially in peacemaking, are offered for all ages. As persons choose to let go of the isolated life, they find opportunities for growth and rich fellowship in the larger church.

Closing Prayer
(This is primarily an opportunity for silent prayer, guided by the lines of spoken prayer below. The leader can read each line, and then pause for a time of silent prayer by all.)

Dear God, open our minds and hearts to the richness of the gifts you would give us .
Help us to see what we need to let go of in order to receive your blessing .
Thank you for the community of the faithful . . . .
The community close to home . . . .
And the widespread community of the larger church . . . . Amen.

Families, like the persons in them, come in all kinds of sizes, exhibit a variety of personalities and possess unique qualities. That's always been the case, even during the times that "real" families were thought to be basically the same — Mom, Dad and one or more children. But when we study the scriptures without our "nuclear family" blinders on, or just pause to look around us, we discover that there are many varieties of families and ways to live together in households. While most involve blood relationships, others reflect the type that Jesus called his family — "those who do the will of God" (Mark 3:35) non-blood relationships bound together by a common commitment to God, who is Love. Thus convents and congregations as well as one or more adult living under the same roof in a committed, loving relationship are also types of families, are they not? A single parent with one or more children, a single person, a blended family with children from two nuclear families or an extended family with grandparents and/or aunts and uncles are some of the varieties of families in which we live. When we stop to think about it, most of us have lived in two or more kinds of families before we reach the age of 30! Some family styles are entered into by choice; others by circumstance. But all healthy families are bound together by love, which is God — otherwise they are just groupings existing together for food and shelter.

I have had the privilege of living in many different family styles — I grew up in a "nuclear" family that changed into an extended family when grandmother came to live with us. I've lived in two adult families and as a single person until I married. Then we lived as a couple family before our son was born, making us then into a "nuclear" family. Recently I have lived as a single parent, and now, as a single person again. In each one I discovered that every family style has a variety of gifts inherent in it, and that the same spirit of Love permeates each one. I also discovered that each family style has unique needs. What an opportunity for service when we share our families gifts and strengths with those who have needs different than ours, and from whom we can receive service, allowing their strengths and gifts to meet our needs, as well.

Families who have two parents with children tend to have the strengths of companionship, multiple adult role models, sibling interaction and sharing, but they may lack the strengths of meditative solitude, adequate financial resources for many children, or time for one-on-one relationships that a single-person family or two-adult family more easily affords. On the other hand, a couple or a two-adult family may have financial resources to begin a camp scholarship fund for children of large, two-parent or single families, or they may plan a mutually enjoyable "grandparenting" weekend with children from blended families who may need more one-to-one time with an adult.

When I was a single parent, how wonderful it was when a nuclear family invited my son to go on an outing with them, giving him time with other children and role models and giving me time to be alone or with another adult for an afternoon. Because of being single, I can more easily give the gift of one-to-one time to a child or an adult who "needs to talk" — in person or even by e-mail.

Surely, this is an expression of healthy family living — to reflect on the strengths and gifts which each of our families have, and pray for ways to use those gifts with other types of families, even as we welcome the gifts others may give to us. In this way we can serve each other, and have the deep pleasure that serving and being served always brings. There are varieties of gifts, and they all stem from the same spirit — the Spirit of Love — which transforms us into families in the first place!

Closing Prayer
Creator God, it is your Love which gives us the heart and desire to share our gifts. Open our eyes to the gifts and needs of our family and to other families with whom we may share and receive. In the name of Christ, our Savior and our Brother, we pray. Amen.

What does the ideal family look like? It's pretty tough to answer that question if we look to contemporary culture. Traditional understandings of what makes a family a family are continually being challenged.

It was easy when I was growing up. A family was a husband, a wife, two kids and a dog, unless you were Roman Catholic, then you could have up to 10 kids. Families were great back then. There were problems but not problems like today. Beaver Cleaver might get in over his head with something, but if Wally couldn't straighten it out, Ward and June could. Even Eddie Haskel, the worst kid in the universe wouldn't think of doing drugs.

It's different now. Everything seems to be falling apart. Many Christians are looking back, wishing it could be like back then. It's like we're thinking that back then the culture really did have the answer.

Personally, I wouldn't want to go back, I don't think many black people would want to go back. Now that I think about it maybe black people didn't exist back then. They certainly weren't living on Ward and June's or Ozzie and Harriet's block. I don't think many women would want to go back.

So where are we going to look to find out how to do family? The Bible is a great place to start. But be careful, most of the great heroes of faith seemed to fail significantly at aspects of family life. Even the Holy Family seemed to have problems.

Still, there is one thing in the Bible you see over and over again, people going back to God to ask God what God wanted them to be. We look to Jesus, who seemed to revolutionize understandings of family. Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.

The early church seemed to form family around the community of Jesus. So maybe it all needs to begin by asking Jesus. Let me suggest a prayer like the following.

Closing Prayer
Jesus, tell me again how You want it to be. Reveal to me, my family, my church and my world who you want us to be and whose you want us to be. Please help me; my family, my church and my world to be your person, your family, your church and your world.

It was a wonderful, warm August day. It was two days before Helen and my wedding day. I had a great last summer at my parent's home before moving into our apartment and my new adventure as a teacher. That summer was my first summer home since graduation from high school. I was especially glad to have quality time with my sixteen-year-old brother, Alan.

Alan and I ran together, preparing for his senior year in cross-country. He was often quiet but a great listener, a straight A student, and a leader in whatever activity he undertook.

On that day, at the meat packing plant where Alan worked, he suddenly died of a freak electrocution accident. As my dad and I stood helplessly looking at his lifeless body, I had a whirlwind of thoughts and questions. I felt totally confused about my own direction and future. In the midst of this confusion our marriage took place. That evening we returned to the funeral home where my parents stayed for the visitation. The next day we mourned together as we celebrated 16 fantastic years Alan spent among us. The next week Helen and I stayed with my folks and canned corn to buffer the pain of two sons leaving home at the same time.

As a family we understood how important a loving relationship and current affirmation was. The new church family became a primary supportive network as others in my Sunday School class let me sound off, express my anger and disappointment in God, and showered me with grace and love.

Family is the unit that simply loves and supports each other through all of life's trials and experiences. It provides hugs, not answers; grace, not judgment; structure in the midst of chaos, comfort in a scary world.

Closing Prayer
Thank you, Lord, for modeling such compassionate, loving relationships. You showed us how to value and respect others, how to confront and challenge but understand and risk caring. Lord, you taught us how to be intimate and feel secure in your love.

As a student of the Bible I learned that the apostle Paul wrote these words to a fractured faith family at the church in Corinth. The believers there were squabbling amongst themselves over which of the spiritual gifts were more important. It seems they were vying for attention and power and importance. In the meantime Paul proposed that they follow the way of love, a way that calls them to depend on God's presence rather than their own gifts.

As a pastor I've often used this scripture in wedding ceremonies. As I read these words to the couple and watch them gaze lovingly into each other's eyes I wonder if they have any idea how much they need God's presence in their marriage to experience this kind of love. Do they really understand how difficult it is to follow the way of love in the new family that they are creating? As a parent of a nine-year-old girl and fifteen-year-old boy, I find myself reciting this scripture daily.

Surely Paul wrote these words for working parents! He wanted to remind us that the way of love cannot be achieved without relying on God's presence. I know that I need a daily dose of patience as I regularly prod my daughter to practice her violin and her multiplication tables, to keep her clothes off the floor, and to turn off the junky television show. I know I need an extra measure of kindness when my teenage son is exerting his independence, or teasing his sister, or forgetting that homework assignment until 9:30 p.m. And I know that without God's help, more often than I'd like to admit, I can be an irritable, arrogant, rude or resentful parent. Years of marriage and parenting however have taught me to step back, to take a deep breath, and to draw upon my faith, for the way of love bears all things, hopes all things, endures all things. And suddenly in those moments when I thought I had not even an ounce of patience or kindness left in my body, God's way of love works with me, through me, in spite of me to be the loving person, or parent, or pastor that the situation requires. Thanks be to God, the way of love never ends!

Closing Prayer
Holy One, you sent your Son, Jesus, to join our human family and show us your way of love. Help us to seek his wisdom, to share his compassion, and to practice his loving service in the families you have given us. May we be instruments of your love in each other's lives and in the world. Amen.

Throughout all history family has been the basic unit of every civilization. Once we allow that concept to be the defining characteristic, we begin the journey towards living out the concepts of what are basic needs to fulfill the human, spiritual and physical destinies of the family.

I believe that families are a caring, serving, growing, laboratory that provide a safe environment in which to grow and mature, and during that process we will experience success and failure — undergirded by unlimited love, forgiveness and mercy! It provides the elements that hold members together regardless of what happens. In the liturgy of the Pastor's Manual, we have those wonderful vows that say: "to love, cherish, and care for one another as long as we both shall live!"

Read the beautiful story in Genesis 2:1-24 to catch the drama of Creation! Read also the unequaled writing of 1 Corinthians 13! These thoughts from the Bible point to a definition of family! It is the holy ground of unselfish and faithful partnering for the present and future!

The times in which family becomes relevant is in the realization that every moment provides the opportunity to renew commitment for expressions of love.

The family is of the world, in the world and for the world as a living demonstration of how brokenness may be mended; disappointments may be turned to hope; and losses may be integrated into a purpose of renewal and faith! God's own presence in the world is the expression of our being present for one another.

In our society, we are confronted with many choices and options that sometimes crowd out time for the family to feel closeness and ways of nurturing love, peace and joy! It is true that most families will have to take careful evaluation of its goals and recognize that giving up is not the first option. It takes constant strengthening of our resolve to reach consensus.

It is in the ministries of the Church that I have found support and strength to be loved, forgiven and accepted. It is in the worship and study sessions that prayers for healing have sustained me. The teachings of Christ, the comforting presence of God and the nurturing of the Holy Spirit have become for me the dwelling place of God. The Family.

Closing Prayer
O holy and gracious God, we come as a part of your family. Like a mother, we pray for your nurturing spirit to surround us. As we enter life's passages, we pray for your presence to accompany us on our way. We look to the spirit and mind of Jesus Christ to show us the true example of loving one another. Amen.

Over the Christmas season I attended two funeral services, both in the African American community. The first was of a person closely related to our church, the second was a friend's husband of 42 years. Both had large families. From each funeral I came away greatly blessed, feeling that, though the pain was ever so deep, the grieving families would be even stronger through this loss. I wondered why, growing up, I had so seldom come away from a funeral with such a feeling of wholeness in the midst of such sadness.

I reflected on this for some time. I pastor an ethnically mixed church and have officiated at many funerals over the past 19 years. The most difficult funerals are those where the family — no matter the ethnic composition — is in disarray, is fragmented, is lost. Our dominant culture's values of individualism and nuclear family-"ism" feed this malady of the soul.

It is always difficult to say a word of comfort, of hope, of faith, when there is not this strong community of family and faith to uphold those who grieve. It is always difficult to ask those who grieve to hold on, to reassure them that weeping may linger for the night, but joy comes with the morning (Psalm 30:5). The foundation for this hope is not there. Without the foundation, the words sound like clichés. I think back on these two families and their losses. Both families were strong, extended families. Not without difficult personal struggles and failures, yet bound together by a cord of love that could not be broken. This love was built on a strong identity, forged through long suffering and joyous reunions. Even if a family member "falls off the wagon," or deviates from the traditional family norms, the member remains one of the family. As one person put it, "If I have loved my nephew for 21 years and then discover he has AIDS, should I suddenly stop loving him as my nephew?" And this family is not strictly blood family. Members by adoption, by difficult circumstances or hard luck, these families have created an inclusiveness that has been largely lost in the European American cultural tradition. Hospitality is another word for it. When these families bring this ethos into the church, what a source of strength!

At funerals we see the families' richness and potency played out before our eyes. Funeral services provide respect and order, while simultaneously giving space to grieve and sorrow. These emotions are not avoided nor sublimated. Churches have developed structures to channel the grieving, for hearts to open, for emotions to be brought to the altar. The balm in Gilead is always present through a song, a witness, through words of comfort. There is no fear that chaos will ensue should the heart overflow. (This also a good mental health practice.) Behind this cultural expression is the conviction that God is able: God is not afraid of the pain and offers the salve of the Spirit. Through the church's solidarity with those who weep, with those who mourn. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. (Romans 12:15) That is the balm in Gilead.

		Theological Perspective: Families in the Bible
	An Historical Understanding of Family in the Chruch of the Brethren	50 Ways to Celebrate Families
	Worship Service Resources	Sunday School Materials
	Devotions for Board Meetings and Small Groups	Bibliography