I love working on my genealogy as a way of discovering my heritage. I have learned a lot about my family members. I am quite proud of some; others, not so much. Most of us define who we are based on whom and where we have come from, from the identity and heritage of our “people.” And yet, today, families are changing. Within my own so-called “traditional” family, we now have members from five different countries and four racial/ethnic groups. Most of us don’t share heritage and identity. Our shared commitment is to the future of our children and grandchildren—our legacy and their inheritance.

Who makes up your family? I am increasingly aware that shared gene pools or heritages do not a family make. Today we often form families through formal or informal extended relationships of trust, nurture, and love. We see this most often among those who have been ostracized by or who live far away from their families of origin.

Ephesians speaks of an inheritance granted originally to Jewish Christians (the “we” of the chapter) that is now shared with Gentile Christians (the “you” of v. 13) through their redemption received “in Christ.” Jews had always defined themselves by their differences with rigid laws in place to prevent interaction with Gentiles. But Ephesians insists that when we come together in Christ, we are defined not by a shared heritage but by a shared inheritance. Heritage looks backward; inheritance looks to the future. Heritage, though meaningful, fades in importance compared with what we share and will grow into as we live together in Christ.

So, who makes up your family? Who makes up your church family? Do all these family members share the same heritage or the same inheritance?