Thriving family

Jock Stein December 19, 2024 4 1

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Luke 2: 5 (NRSVA)

5 He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child.

Luke is quite open about the circumstances of Jesus’ birth, which we know from the gospels, and which we can glean from Paul’s consistent use of different Greek words for Christ’s birth and other human births (e.g. in Galatians 4). While the virgin birth has become part of Christian belief, we simply don’t know whether or not it raised questions for those among whom he grew up, and the gospels do not tell us. In the lands of ‘Christendom’ illegitimate birth has been a stigma, but in many other countries (as in Britain today) it is not such an issue. And with such high rates of divorce, we naturally value practical love in unconventional families over failures in conventional ones. WWJD – what would Jesus do – is always a helpful question, even if the answer is often trickier than we would like. The Jewish tradition of valuing the situation that 'comes right’ is a good model (see Ezekiel 33: 11-16).

PRAY

Dear God our Father, from whom every human family takes its name, we pray for loving and wholesome family life in our land. Guide couples from cohabitation to marriage, help couples into consistent care for one another, give wisdom to all who seek to heal breaking marriages, and bless those who seek to uphold Christian standards in a world where such are strange.

We pray for children in a world where many are abused and rejected; for all involved in safeguarding; for good law and practice; for those who adopt and foster; for wise restriction of social media; and against people and customs which harm boys and girls in body and soul. Lord, hear our prayers, for the world and for particular situations known to us, though Jesus Christ our Saviour, Amen.