A Leahy Family Christmas

We went to the Community Performance Series Concert last night at Hosmer Hall.

The Leahy Family from Canada treated us to a wonderful night of fiddling, singing and French Canadian clog/tap dancing. It was magical!

Eight of the eleven siblings performed (three of the girls were at various stages of pregnancy so they stayed home). There were drums, a mandolin, and fiddles, a banjo, bass guitars and a grand piano. They were raised on a farm and taught to work hard, appreciate music and have fun. And it was evident that they were experts at all three. They all played a variety of instruments, they all sang and they all danced. The men were great! They travel as a family, together and with their children, and at each performance they allow one child to come out and perform with the adults. Last night the cutest little six year old did a wonderful dance!

The talent of each one of them was impressive but together they were inspiring. ( I have to confess that I was asking the Lord why that family got soooo much talent, seems like it would have been good to spread it around a bit) And they were having so much fun together and with the audience and just in general enjoying each others gifts!

Wow, what a family!

I was thinking about the church as a family again today, I guess because another first anniversary is tomorrow and I have continually sensed the love of a family this year.

In the New Testament God's people are rarely referred to as Christians or believers. They are mostly called brothers, members of a family. We are brothers together because we have the same Father. We share the same life source. And our responsibility to each other in relationship is love. It's not a spiritual gift but an outworking of character. An expression, a thoughtful gesture, an invitation, a kind word, a remembering, a putting up of storm windows yet again this year.

The church, a visual representation of a family. His family; joined together, working, worshipping, loving, grieving, sharing gifts and talents and having fun with each other and the Father.