includes

Saturday June 13^th, Mark 3: 31 Then Jesus' mother and brothers arrived. Standing outside, they sent someone in to tell him to come out. 32 Many people were sitting around Jesus, and they said to him, "Your mother and brothers[a] are waiting for you outside." 33 Jesus asked, "Who are my mother and my brothers?" 34 Then he looked at those sitting around him and said, "Here are my mother and my brothers! 35 My true brother and sister and mother are those who do what God wants." Not exactly a family values statement, or is it?  In his rejection of the definition of family as only the inner circle of blood relative, Jesus offers his rejection of the definition of neighbor as only those in close proximity.  Jesus expands out the definition of the family of God to include all of creation.  Jesus includes you and I.  In including you and I, we too are asked by God to expand out our definition of the family to look more like the body of Christ in which there is no east or west, no north or south and where all are one in Christ Jesus.