PENTECOST XXIV

November 12, 2023

“Family Connections”          

Family gatherings are synonymous with the upcoming holidays of Thanksgiving and Christmas, as people come together to share these special occasions.  But defining a family isn’t a simple, clear-cut sentence or two.  As we open our hearts and minds in loving relationships, we create families, growing and thriving together.      

Ancient cultures practiced a tradition of adoption, as the Hebrew people were instructed in the Torah 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.  In the book of Exodus, as we read of the enslavement of the Jews by the Egyptians, the story of Moses begins with adoption.  The daughter of Pharaoh found the abandoned infant, adopted him, and he became the great leader of his people.  (Read Exodus 1 & 2 if you love a fascinating story!)     

My own appreciation of how families grow and are nurtured is very personal, as adoption has been part of three generations — a cousin, my “kid” brother, my brother’s daughter, and my beloved granddaughter, are loved and treasured as chosen members of the family.  Sharing blood lines or ancestry couldn’t make these relationships any closer or more meaningful.     

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.  Walking into the lobby of the Juvenile Court building that day, we were surprised to see it filled with people, as 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.     

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. 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 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. 

Forever grateful to be part of God’s family,

Your adopted sister in Christ,  

Mary Rogers