We like to think of ourselves as a family. That’s a very biblical way of thinking, for the Bible often describes the church as the family of God and refers to God as “our Father.” To speak of God as our heavenly Father is to confess not only that he is the one that made us and now controls every part of our lives but also that we’re children of that Father. We live under the authority, love, and care of a Father to whom we must give childlike trust and obedience.

But if we think of ourselves as God’s children, we must also think of each other as brothers and sisters. And we do. Sometimes our family character makes us seem aloof to others. Sometimes we have family squabbles. But we know what it means to be together. We worship together. We do the Lord’s work together. We visit our sick, bring meals to our shut-ins, weep with those who sorrow, rejoice with those who celebrate. We bear each other’s burdens, increase each other’s joys, and enrich each other’s lives.

This family self-understanding fashions our picture of what it means to live as Christians. We remember that children aren’t their parents’ children only at mealtime or bedtime. Brothers and sisters don’t belong to the same family only when they walk to school together. Being a family involves our whole life, in all its parts. To think of God as our Father, ourselves as his children, and each other as brothers and sisters means living all of life together under God’s authority, in the embrace of his love, with deep concern for each other.

That’s who we are. The Christian Reformed Church—family. Children of one heavenly Father. Brothers and sisters by a common faith in Jesus Christ. We find it big and exciting—an adventure in living, working, and worshiping as part of God’s family. It’s an adventure we’d like to share.