Posted on January 17, 2011 - by Megan

Our Family: Brought to You by MLK

Without Martin Luther King Jr. our family would not be possible. Not so long ago a transracial family would have been considered scandalous—if not downright illegal. The idea that people of different races could be in the same family was unthinkable.

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit together at the table of brotherhood (Martin Luther King Jr.).

In preparation for our Ugandan adoption, Felicity received an African-American Bitty Baby for Christmas. The picture above shows how I found her new doll and the baby she received a couple of years ago arranged on her bed later on Christmas Day. When I asked her about the babies, she told me they were sisters.

Jesus challenged the idea of what it meant to be a family. Historically, families have been defined by geneology and blood relationships. There were tribes and religious groups and ethnic distinctions, and they rarely mixed, let alone became family with one another. Enter Jesus.

There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:28).

Through Jesus, the playing field is leveled. The old ways are turned upside down. We all become heirs to the Kingdom through our adoption in Christ. No one is entitled more than another to sonship.

Further, in the incarnation of Jesus we are reminded that we are equally fashioned in the image of Christ and all equally bear the consequences of the fall. Spiritual adoption is our only hope for freedom from the curse and reconciliation with the Father and one another.

The gospel holds the keys to racial reconciliation. It gives us a vision for what the Kingdom of God is supposed to look like (oneness), and how the people of God are supposed to relate to one another (brotherhood). We are called to intentionally seek healing and unity where there has been injury, brokenness, and segregation. We are called to brotherhood because we are already brothers and sisters in Christ. (I’ve written more about that here.)

When I think about the racial make-up of my own family, I am reminded that it is an affirmation that the gospel is true, not because racial distinctives can or should disappear, but because they can be embraced and celebrated at the same table when we remember that we are one family—the family of God.

Let us all hope that the dark clouds of racial prejudice will soon pass away, and that in some not too distant tomorrow the radiant stars of love and brotherhood will shine over our great nation with all their scintillating beauty (Martin Luther King Jr.).