John Wesley was a Loyalist

    Family is extremely important.  Family provides a cocoon of protection, encouragement, nourishment, motivation and love.  Although I am from a relatively small family—I am the youngest of three sons; my mother had one sister and my father was an only child. I would often joke that my family is so small, we could have a family reunion in a minivan and still have room to pickup hitchhikers!  However, while my parents were from relatively small families, their parents were from much larger families. My paternal grandparents were both from families of four children and my maternal grandparents were both from families of ten children! As a result, they were surrounded by cousins and I grew up being surrounded by generations of cousins.  

    Summers were especially enjoyable. Even though I never knew any of my great-grandparents, I felt quite close to them because of all the stories that I heard about them. My paternal grandmother, who lived in Natchez visited the cemetery every month to place “fresh” plastic flowers on the graves of family members and friends. Whenever we went to the cemetery with my grandmother, she would recall stories about each of the relatives whose graves we visited.  

     I also heard stories about great-grandparents and other relatives whenever we gathered for weekend visits, funerals and the occasional reunions. I treasured these stories and I treasure these memories even more with each passing day. Because my family not only preserved memories, they also kept memorabilia. I was stunned beyond words when I found the civil war army discharge papers for my great-great-grandfather. What was even more startling was the discovery of a photograph of my great-great-grandmother and her children (my great-great-grandfather had died at the time of the photograph).

    Paul’s words remind us of the parentage of Abraham when he wrote “He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed” (Romans 4:17). The familial connections that unite us because of our connections to Abraham reveal undeniable lineages not only between families, but also among faith communities. Jews and Islam also proclaim a connection to Abraham. These bonds, while unfortunately are frequently strained, they are never severed completely. The joy that is shared upon the discovery of cousins extends far beyond our known bonds and allegiances, it also demonstrates the power, wisdom and providence of God to provide a way for us to see, to be seen, as well as to know and to be known.  

    One of the hymns that is often sung in June on Father’s Day, includes the lyrics “Faith of our fathers living faith, we will be true to thee til death.” The power of these lyrics are multiplied exponentially when we consider all the people and all the ways we are connected.

    Let us continue to learn, love and grow together. We are looking forward to seeing you in worship, in class and in fellowship.  

In Christ,

Jon McCoy