Family

[This blog is taken from the message presented at MEI chapels in winter, 2024]

I was born into David & Stella Manuel’s family. Being the fourth of four children, I was naturally the favourite of both my mother and father. 😉 I have fond memories of my time as a child and very special memories of one-on-one time with each of my parents. My mom loved to cook and would jump into the kitchen at the drop of a hat to cook for me. If any of my friends came by, she would quickly make fresh rhotis and chicken curry for us all to enjoy. I remember friends coming over after our high school basketball games to eat at my house, and eat we did! She loved me, she loved my friends, and she loved to take care of us! 

My dad was a very busy church-builder and preacher of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. After a full Sunday at church, he and I would end up in the basement playing marbles, building forts, and napping. I think this is where my strong affinity for napping began. To this day I’m an early riser, and if possible, a napper!

My family, led by my parents, provided me with so many things including protection, nutrition, shelter, clothing, learning, guidance, and wisdom.

A next stage of family began when I asked Sarah to marry me (in front of around 1500 young people at a Doxa worship service). She said yes. 😮‍💨 From our first date to proposal was about 7 weeks and we were married around 4 months later. I was a teacher in the Abbotsford School District at the age of 26 and Sarah was 22 years old and very excited at the idea of a future with me starting our own family and serving the Lord together.

First came Misha and Jada, 19 months apart. Sarah and I spent so much time with them! I was a new vice principal in the district and would race home after work to play. I would make up games including “Plush Bombs” where we’d go into the basement with all of our stuffies, turn out the lights, align ourselves behind the couches, and fire the stuffies, or plush bombs, at each other. Of course I was far more accurate and generally won all of these battles.

Another favourite game was “Hockey Puck Attack” played best on the driveway. Misha and Jada rode their bikes around in circles while I tried to hit them with the plastic hockey puck. I received one point for each time I hit one of their bikes, and they received a point for each time they rode over the puck. I’m not sure how it reads, but the game was surprisingly super-fun for all of us and somewhat therapeutic for me after a long day of VP-ing at a large Abbotsford high school.

Now with Zoe and Sadie the fun continues in new ways including hiking, trips into Vancouver, biking, movies, and basketball on the driveway.

Again, our family led by me and Sarah provides our children with protection, nutrition (Sarah loves to cook like my mom did), shelter, clothing (the younger two have very high standards…), learning, guidance, and wisdom.

There are really only three ways to join our earthly families: 1) Be born in, 2) Be adopted in, and 3) Marry in. Well, I’m part of a much larger and eternal family, the family of God! The picture above symbolizes this family so well. This is our Life Group that met weekly for 13 years including an annual camping trip to Golden Ears Campground. Day times included swimming and games while evenings were focussed on worship, intentional teaching from the Word of God, and mentorship of our cumulative children.

How does one become a part of the family of God, or better, how does one become a Child of God? It is true that we are all beautifully created in the image of God. Despite all that the worldly influences are telling us through social media, entertainment, and targeted marketing about our lack of beauty, our lack of being enough, our lack of worth on our own (for the purpose of financial gain for them, I must add), each of us has been beautifully made. You are beautiful! Don’t listen to the world, listen to God’s voice! Consider King David’s writing:

“I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well” (Psalm 139:14).

So how do we gain membership into God’s eternal family? How does one become a Child of God? What must we do to receive eternal and all-powerful protection, nutrition, shelter, clothing, learning, guidance, and wisdom? 

First, repent of your sins. 

Second believe in Jesus. 

And third, be filled with the Holy Spirit.

Jesus came to earth, lived a perfect life, taught and modelled, died a horrible death to pay for our sins, and rose again defeating death (Read Romans). He has offered freedom from our sins so that we are no longer slaves to sin and are no longer led by the sinful nature. Instead, we may be led by the Spirit of God and begin to desire the good, pure, and right things that God would have us pursue with our earthly lives. Once we give our lives to Jesus, we are new creations; a chemical reaction has taken place and the old is gone with all its garbage and baggage, and something new, clear, pure, and wonderful is in its place.

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” (2 Corinthians‬ ‭5‬:‭17)

If you are a follower of Jesus, let me ask you this: Have you been baptized? Consider doing it now! This is simply an act of obedience. If you are a young person, please discuss this with your parents: “I’m thinking about getting baptized; what do you think?.” If you decide to take this step in following Jesus, invite all your friends and family to watch you enter the water symbolizing the old ‘you’ dying and being buried with Christ, and come out of the water symbolizing the new creation that God has made in you. Now get going in the ministry that God has chosen you for and the work that He has prepared for you to do for His glory! As fellow family members of God’s eternal family, we have an undying hope as we will live forever with our Heavenly Father in a place where there is no pain and no suffering; now go and share this hope with everyone!

One more thought on this! For me, it is critically important to be a part of the local church. Yes, I’m now a part of the worldwide Family of God! Yes, I’m a Child of God and an heir with Christ. Yes, I’m led by the Spirit of God and as a result, an adopted son of God (Romans 8:14-17). Wow! Thank you Jesus! But for me to learn, grow, be healthy, and contribute, I must connect to a local chapter of the Body of Christ. Jesus established one thing on this earth, His church. Let’s treat the church and hold it in high esteem as Jesus did; Jesus gave His life for the church! 

These are the values that we, the Manuels (M6), have agreed to:

1) Be a part of the local church

2) Attend regularly

3) Come on time and prepared (no tech on Sunday mornings)

4) Serve: “See a need, fill a need” (Bigweld from Robots, 2005).

5) Give financially as part of our worship and in obedience to God

6) Worship in song and don’t constantly evaluate the musicians

7) Learn from the preaching and don’t constantly evaluate the preacher

8) Take what we’ve learned as from the Holy Spirit and apply it to our lives

Fellow children of God, let us be counted among the faithful. What a joy and privilege to be a part of the eternal Family of God!