Some Assembly Required

Growing up, some of my favorite words on the side of a new toy was “some assembly required.”

Those words meant that my Dad and I would get down on the shag carpet floor and put this fun toy together. Or at least TRY to put it together. I remember a Castle Grayskull (of He-Man fame) in particular. We must have spent over an hour putting it together (yes, Mom, we DID read the instructions first). We built the outside walls, installed multiple floors, a large crossbow, and even a throne room. The throne room had a trap door… except the trap door never actually worked. A tiny part had broken off in transit.

As exciting as “some assembly required” could be, I came to learn that the phrase also meant that even if you followed directions and did everything right, there was always the chance that things could break or they just wouldn’t work. A bit like life, isn’t it?  
 
This Sunday, we’ll read in the scriptures where Jesus is telling his students/followers that they should expect that things will be broken. The hardships they face could even lead to the worst thing they could imagine – being cut off from the family they had known. Jesus says that despite that brokenness, the good news is that there is still a place for us. There is an assembly where even those called “broken” find that we are valuable, loved, and a vital part of God’s family.
 
This Sunday, let’s assemble and learn how to be a stronger family for each other. It’s a time for those called “dad” and all others, too. See you Sunday.