Our grown nephew has a new stepson, Evan. I’m in love with this cute, smart little boy. I bought him a birthday card and signed it “Love, Kevin and Jane.” Later I wondered if I should have signed it “Uncle Kevin and Aunt Jane.” Of course, there’s no “blood” relation between Evan and us. But who am I in the relationship? The “step-aunt-by-marriage”?


Someone asked Jesus, “Who is my neighbor?” Jesus told the story of the Good Samaritan, the one who showed mercy on an injured man lying at the edge of the road where others had passed by. He tended the man’s wounds, took him to an inn, and paid for his care. With this story Jesus broadened the definition of “neighbor” to include even strangers.


Centuries later, we have broadened the concept of “family” to include step-families or blended families. What would Jesus say about my nephew’s stepson? I think He loves our patched-together family. He knows we are bound together by love because He showed us the ultimate bond of love when He brought us into His forever family.