What does it mean to be a family in the kingdom of God? Not the idealized, airbrushed version we so often see, but the messy, beautiful, ever-evolving reality of what it means to be bound together in love. Too often, we approach family life with a set of assumptions - a blueprint we've been handed, a script we feel we must follow. But what if the way of Jesus calls us to something deeper, something more improvisational? What if being a family in the kingdom means being apprenticed to love, learning moment by moment how to will the good of one another, how to discern what faithful living looks like in our particular context? That's the invitation we'll be exploring today with my guest, Emily Hunter McGowin. Emily has thought deeply about these questions, not just in the abstract, but in the crucible of her own family story - a story of brokenness and redemption, of unlearning old ways and embracing the subversive, liberating vision of Jesus. So let's dive in. Let's wrestle with what it means to be a family that reflects the upside-down values of God's reign. To move beyond simplistic formulas and enter into the holy, gritty work of loving one another as we've been loved. The journey won't be easy, but I believe it's one that holds the promise of true, lasting freedom. So join us.

Emily Hunter McGowin (PhD, University of Dayton) is associate professor of theology at Wheaton College. She is the author of Quivering Families and Christmas, and coeditor of God and Wonder. Her articles have appeared in Christianity Today and The Week. She is a priest in the Anglican diocese of Churches for the Sake of Others. She and her husband, Ron, also a priest, live in Chicagoland with their three children.

Emily's Book:
Households of Faith

Emily's Recommendation:
Womanist Midrash

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