When you hear the word “family,” what comes to mind? The words “family” or “families” appear over 250 times in the Bible, and the first time it is mentioned, it refers to animals, not persons!

As Noah exits the ark after the flood, it is written, “and every animal…went out of the ark by families.”

The baby Moses would have never survived, floating down the river in a basket, if an Egyptian princess had not taken him into her house and raised him like her own son.

The story of Joseph and his brothers does have a happy ending, but early on was full of tragedy.

Then there is the beautiful story of Ruth, who is so devoted to her mother-in-law that she chooses to stay with her rather than move on and find a new life after the death of her husband. Blood isn’t the only thing that can bind persons together as in a family.

Over and over again, scripture tells us that family can and should extend beyond bloodlines, reach into places we might not expect, and shatter borders that might shock us. As christians, we share an unbreakable bond that holds us together, whether we are present or absent at our Sunday worship.

As christians, we are…at our core…connected because we hold close the same truths, the same creed, the same Father. And as far as a bloodline is concerned, we are all connected by the blood of Jesus which was shed to make us all one family in Christ.

About the author: Previously the priest at St. Francis of Assisi in Lake Placid for 21 years, Rev. Elizabeth L. Nelson is now the Priest at Good Shepherd Episcopal Church in LaBelle.