PENTECOST XXV
November 14, 2021
“Adopted as God’s Children, Grace Freely Bestowed”
As hardy Midwesterners, we accept that the month of November isn’t likely to include very many sunny, blue-sky fall days. We reveled in a few mild days early in the month, and many of us hustled outside to get some fall yard work wrapped up. We are, after all, realists, and the recent gray, blustery, wet days have been what we expect of November weather. I can’t help but wish we could have just a little more of bright, colorful leaves to enjoy, and mild afternoons to be outdoors just absorbing the beauty. So how can we create some light and enjoyment in the midst of the gloom?
To begin with, let’s look at the beauty and joy of our November celebrations. We’ve just experienced the glowing warmth of candlelight of All Saints Day, as we gratefully remembered both historic and personal saints whose lives and witness guided us in the faith. Bookending this time of reflection, is our national holiday of Thanksgiving — a warm and bright and beautiful time with family and friends, regardless of gray skies and short days.
In my own family, November includes several birthdays that call for special times together, including the year when we brought home our newborn baby daughter. My new favorite time in November, however, began fifteen years ago, when our family gathered to witness the finalization of our granddaughter’s adoption. When we arrived at the courthouse, we found the lobby and public areas crowded with families of all kinds, and as we wondered what was going on, we learned that November is National Adoption Month! The wide smiles and eyes sparkling with happy tears created light and brightness enough to overcome any gloominess outside. I now consider November to be the very best month of the year — a totally biased and highly personal opinion, of course.
Throughout the Bible, we learn of adoption as God’s gift to his people, creating families based on love and commitment. Hebrew families were required to not only care for the orphaned children of their relatives, but to adopt them as full members of the family. Through this practice, lines of inheritance were assured, and children were made secure as members of their family and community.
The Apostle Paul describes God’s adoption plan in Ephesians 1:5-6: “God destined us for adoption as his children through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace that he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.”
Here 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.
Secure as the child of our loving heavenly Father,
Your friend in Christ,
Mary Rogers