We first notice it in middle and high school: that feeling of exclusivity in social groups that seems nearly impossible to penetrate. Do the cool kids like me? Am I a star athlete? Am I popular and pretty?

But at church it should be different, right?
According to Ephesians, “We’re in with Christ,” but many blended families don’t feel “in,” even at Church.

This Sunday we finish our 8-week series at Stonebriar Community Church in Frisco.
We are very grateful to everyone at Stonebriar who has empowered Blended Together Forever.
They have provided staff, resources, filming & editing because they believe in this ministry.

Our final session has gone through some name changes, from “The Promised Land” to “Are we there yet?”
Much like blending a family, this eight-week series has been a process!

But anchoring everything is the hope of Christ for a future that resides solidly in Him.

Here are three thoughts to give context to you, your friends and your church.

1. We were all outsiders.
2. We were all excluded.
3. We are all now one big blended family.

God’s chosen people were the Jews, so we Gentiles were ALL on the outside looking in.
“Don’t forget that you Gentiles used to be outsiders.” (Eph 2:11)

That means we were “excluded” from citizenship, “without God and without hope” (Eph 2:12).
Not good enough. On the outside looking in. Hopeless.

But Jesus redeemed us & blended us all together.
“He united Jews and Gentiles into one people…He broke down the wall of hostility that separated us” (Eph 2:14).

In other words, we are all one big blended family.
No one can boast.
We’ve all been grafted in.

Much like Gentiles of the past, many divorced/remarried blended families feel hopeless and not quite good enough to “fit in” with the church crowd. They still feel “out” in a community where everyone should be welcomed “in.”

Here’s your challenge this week: Speak a word of encouragement to a friend in a blended family, and think about how your church can be more welcoming to divorced, remarried, and blended families.

Never judge a man by what he has accomplished, only judge him on what he’s overcome.