PENTECOST XXIV
November 15, 2020
“Building a Family”
Thanksgiving is nearing, the Christmas season is already pushing its way in, and this crazy, upside-down year of one crisis after another is now changing that most treasured of holiday traditions — Thanksgiving dinner! Whether or not you’ve gathered with a large extended family or done something unique with a small group of friends, the important thing has been the getting together. Family configurations may vary greatly, but love and commitment are the foundation on which a family is built.
Adoption has played an important part in my own understanding of family. My cousin Steve, my adored brother, Mike, my special niece, Mina, and with great joy, our granddaughter, Johanna, all became family members through adoption. I could never see what difference it makes whether people share DNA or come together voluntarily in a loving relationship.
To be part of the adoption process is a wonderful experience, and we were thrilled to attend the judicial procedure that finalized the adoption of our granddaughter. Much to our surprise, when we walked into the lobby of the Juvenile Court building, it was filled with people, and excited chatter, laughter, and smiles filled the space. Then we learned that November was National Adoption Month! What a delight to be part of this celebratory group on the day we already considered so very special.
Adoption has become a formalized, legal process, with t’s to be crossed, i’s to be dotted, and forms to be signed, but the practice is rooted in ancient times. The Book of Exodus tells of Pharaoh’s daughter adopting the baby Moses, who led God’s people out of slavery. The Torah commanded the Hebrew people to not only care for the orphaned children of their relatives, but to adopt them as full members of the family. In this way, lines of inheritance were assured, and children were made secure as members of their family and community.
The Apostle Paul wrote letters of instruction and encouragement to new congregations, as they continued to spread the Gospel and gather as groups to support one another. Many of these new believers were Jewish, and adoption was already part of their tradition. Describing these communities as families, and that every Christian was adopted by God, he made it very clear that all are equal members of God’s family. This is beautifully expressed in Ephesians 1:3a, 5,
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ . . . He destined us for adoption as his children through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of his will.”
These words speak to us today, especially if we feel distant or alone, because the good pleasure of God’s will binds us to him as children and heirs of the promise. So there is the adoption document, signed, sealed and delivered, with no loopholes or qualifiers. Through the gift of God’s own Son, we are children and heirs, fully members of his family, equal in every way. There is never a time when we cannot cry out to our Father for comfort or protection, for reassurance of his love and forgiveness. He is our Father and we are his children, and that bond is unbreakable.
Your adopted sister in Christ,
Mary Rogers