Each of my parents was married twice, due to the death of their first spouse. Subsequently, I have half-siblings and stepsiblings. So, I suppose I should know something about blended families! Thankfully, my experience is not like Cinderella’s, Snow White’s or Hansel and Gretel’s in those dark, scary fairytales. My stepsister is anything but wicked, and while I’ve never had a stepmother, my stepfather has always been the epitome of loving-kindness.
Through my relationships with other people, I have also seen that the blending of families, including through adoptions and foster care, can bring about joy or sorrow, or both, depending on the circumstances and personalities involved. There are simply no hard-and-fast rules about whether family members unrelated by blood will fight or flee, or that those from the same gene pool will form firm bonds.
Yet the only thing I really do know is that a so-called blended family is much like any other. There will be challenges and pain caused by our imperfect efforts at togetherness and, hopefully, there will be love aplenty and the comfort and security of belonging. Sometimes, as with a good salad dressing containing competing ingredients such as vinegar and oil, family dynamics need to be shaken up in order to harmoniously blend.
As one of the people I interviewed for this edition said, it’s really unconditional love and support rather than genetics that are the hallmarks of a family.
So, this month, as we prepare to celebrate the birth of Jesus into an ‘unconventional’ family, we can remember that God sent his Son not just to live in an earthly family but to suffer and die, to reclaim us as members of his eternal family.
In this edition, we are truly blessed with beautiful stories from our LCANZ community about what ‘family’ means. You’ll also read the final Heartland column from LCANZ Bishop John Henderson before he retires. In February next year, we’ll welcome the incoming LCANZ bishop, Pastor Paul Smith, with a new column.
We also meet Brett Hausler, the new executive officer of the church, in ‘The inside story’ section, and share the news of graduate pastor placements, home faith-life and other resources and uplifting features from our church family.
As this is the last edition for 2021, I would like to thank you, our readers, subscribers, group collectors and other ambassadors (you’ll hear more on that opportunity soon) for your loyalty, and we look forward to your continued support. Please keep encouraging others to join us – a subscription makes a great Christmas gift! My gratitude goes, too, to our wonderful team which brings you The Lutheran. Thank you to Linda Macqueen (executive editor), Elysia McEwen (graphic designer), our regular contributors Helen Beringen and Rebecka Colldunberg, proofreaders Lyall Kupke, Kathy Gaff and Pastor David Strelan, Gaynor Gower in subscriptions and Trevor Bailey and all at Openbook Howden.
Have a safe, joyful and blessed Christmas,
Lisa
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