At a time when my brother-in-law was having serious health problems , his wife, my sister Jane, was called for jury duty. She protested, and asked to be excused, but was refused, and so she showed up at the appointed time and date. At the questioning of the potential jurors, she gave her name and the judge responded, “You aren’t Randall Christie’s mother, are you?” Jane answered, “Yes, I am.” Randall Christie is her son , who was the defense attorney in the case before the court. Needless to say, Jane was excused. There are few human bonds closer than the bonds among family members. The likelihood of a family member remaining entirely impartial in a trial is just about non-existent.

This partiality is the very quality God seeks in His own children. At the Last Supper Jesus said: “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. . . I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.” (John 15:9-15) Jesus is including the disciples in the family of God Himself. After the resurrection, Jesus called them “brothers” to Mary Magdalene: “Go to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.” (John 21;17&18)

Jesus ushers us all into a new relationship with God—the relationship of family, the intimacy of a family, and the partiality of a family. Jesus is the delight of his Father God when he brings “home” another brother or sister to our Father. He does this through the Holy Spirit of God working in the lives of ordinary people, enabling them to believe and accept our brother Jesus.

Jane told Randall about her experience and he quickly arranged for her not to receive any more jury summonses. She had thought that her need alone would excuse her, but it took a family member connected to the court to achieve her goal for her.

Jesus is our family member connected to the Father’s life, who works for us to forgive us and help us re-unite with our Father. Daily reading His book can open the way to draw close to God and take our places at his side.

We, like Jane, need the intersession of Christ to join the family of God, and receive

the blessings that are revealed in the Bible. I believe that his hand is reaching out to everyone who has ever wondered, “Is He real?” “Seek,” he said, “and you will find.” Open the book and read the Bible at home.

Love in Him,

Prue