Dear HBIC Family,

One of the things I like to do when I speak somewhere for the first time is to introduce myself to the audience by sharing about my family. I share that my wife is from Elverson, Pennsylvania and grew up on a dairy farm. I share that I have always been an urban resident, spending time in Monrovia, Freetown, Abidjan, Philadelphia, and now Harrisburg. And with Harrisburg now home, I share proudly that our daughters are Harrisburg born and raised. 

I share that being organically multiethnic, diverse, and cross-cultural isn’t about being ideological; it’s just life in my world. I have found that how we think and interact with race and racism is not simply about ideas or constructs. It is very personal, and it is very much our reality.

We all talk about race. We all have been taught about race. We are all in a world still defined by race. 

Yet to some people, talking about race and racism and our call to make peace, reconcile, and restore is perhaps a phase (maybe a fad) and certainly just about being politically correct. Nevertheless, this is the work God has called us to. God so loved the world he created, that he sent his Son. Jesus, through his sacrifice, made it possible for us to come near to God, though we were once enemies of God and dead in our sins. The Spirit births the Church as a community of faith, and the multi-ethnic family that is now the Body of Christ. 

In the second half of Ephesians 2, Paul states clearly that Christ is our peace. His purpose was to make a new humanity, a new body, a new family…his family. Through his sacrifice at Calvary, Christ has reconciled us to God and to each other. Christ has made peace possible with people in previous covenant relationship with God as well as all others. In Christ, we are made whole, joined together and raised as God’s temple – a place where God dwells by his Spirit. Therefore, the work of racial justice and reconciliation is a fruit of Christ’s work, the Spirit’s empowering, and the love of God. 

This week as we continue our In Christ series, we will focus on what it means to be the family of Christ. As you prepare for this week’s services, I would like to invite you to read and meditate on this passage, Ephesians 2:11-22. As you reflect, please focus on the following questions:

• How do you define family? 
• How is your definition of family similar to and different from how God defines family?
• What does peace with God look like in your life?
• What does peace with neighbor look like in your life? 
• How are you partnering with God to raise up the family of God?

In our family, we continue to learn the importance of being members of one another. We love our individuality, but we are committed to using what makes us unique to help the family in and outside of our home. We also know that it is God that has formed us, the Spirit that continues to build us, and Jesus who serves as our Lord and King. 

All of this is my prayer for us as a church and family of Christ here at HBIC. I pray that we will truly live as members of one another. I pray that we would acknowledge our uniqueness in a way that honors God by helping those in our lives. Sisters and brothers, I pray that God will continue to form us, that the Spirit will continue to build us up together, and that Jesus will always be our Lord and King!

God bless you all.

Love in Christ,

Pastor Hank (Ephesians 3:17-18)