Sep 27

Written by: jyankey
9/27/2011 1:41 PM 

"Adopted by God: A gift of family."

Romans 8:12 – 17

Rev. Ted Jansen September 25, 2011 First UMC

 

1.)    Thanks to all who have adopted a shut in, a college student, a pre-school class or a Sunday School class. I want Allison to come and give us an update and share with us how we can go about adopting today. (Allison to explain.) Have a moment of prayer.

 

2.)    How many of you have a personal connection to adoption? How many of you were adopted, or adopted someone in your family, or know of families that did adopt or people that were adopted? I would like you to raise your hands.

    There is a story that we each have, a story that touches and changes lives. We are all shaped by adoption in some way. I will invite you to share with another person a few moments of your connection to adoption.

    

3.)    I like the way the New Living Translation (1996 version) writes Romans 8:14 – 17. Listen to these words. "For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. So you should not be like cowering, fearful slaves. You should behave instead like God's own dear children, adopted into his family – calling him, Father, dear Father. For his Holy Spirit speaks to us deep in our hearts and tells us that we are God's children. And since we are his children, we will share his treasures – for everything God gives to his Son, Jesus Christ, is ours too."

 

    The Holy Spirit tells us that we are God's children. Last week we shared together the phrase, "I am a child of God." Let's share that again. (Repeat three times) When we have that confidence as children the scripture tells us that we can even call out to God by saying, "Abba, Father." The Message Translation uses the term that we call God, "Papa." I have also heard that word, Abba, translated as "Daddy." There is a clear sense of intimacy and closeness involved that meets our need for relationship.

    When we are adopted into God's family through our faith in Jesus Christ we also get adopted, or placed, into the family of faith. We say, "We are children of God," with a belief that we have each other in our lives. (Let's repeat that phrase three times.)

    It is as if God welcomes you and says, "Now that you are my child you have another family; you have brothers and sisters.

 

4.)    The prior message I focused on the gift of salvation in the adoption process. Today I focus on the gift of our church family in the adoption process. We are related to all who are called the children of God.

    We receive the presence of God in our lives and we receive the presence of men and women, children, youth. We get each other as a family. Wow. That is great.

    

5.)    I remember one time in college a friend and I went to Florida on a Spring Break. We stayed with some friends and they invited us to go to a Bible Study. I remember going to this house I had never been before with people I had never met before in a town I had never been in before. I felt alone and vulnerable.

    In the Bible Study I experienced an encouraged spirit. I believe it was the Holy Spirit in different lives confirming what we shared in common, our faith in Christ. Our spirits got to experience this sense of family, of friendship, of closeness of spirit. It is hard to describe. I sensed in my spirit that we were friends, even though we were complete strangers.

It was a neat experience in my young faith; to realize that the family of God was one of the gifts that God had given to all believers.

 

6.)    I find it interesting when I hear of stories of how our lives are interconnected as a family of faith. Richard shared with me this week of a way that he and Alice Short are connected. Richard sang at the retirement celebration for Sid and Alice in their church in Michigan. Richard showed me the program that Alice had given him to look at.

    We are a part of the family of faith and we each have stories we can share about our life together that confirms God's Spirit within us.

    So, let's seek to adopt and tell the stories in the coming days about our experiences and see how we can see God unfold the blessing to us.

 

7.)    Let me tell you a little bit of my story. My Mom and Dad settled in Southampton Pennsylvania and had four boys. I was the first boy born in 1959. After us four boys were born my Mom and Dad decided that they wanted to adopt. My Mom grew up on a farm in Freeland, Michigan and my Dad grew up in Norway and moved to Brooklyn New York after WWII so his father could pastor a Methodist congregation.

    I remember hearing Mom and Dad say that they wanted to put their faith in action and believed the Lord wanted them to love and care for children who didn't have a home.

    So, my Mom and Dad adopted Mia, a girl from Korea. A few years went by and they adopted Heidi, a bi-racial girl from New Jersey. Then a few years went by and they adopted Rik and Tina a bi-racial natural brother and sister from New Jersey. Then we become a foster family to Bill, a bi-racial boy who they adopted.

    There were 9 children living in our modest ranch home in the suburbs of Philadelphia. Adoption was a central aspect of my home life and understanding of how faith is lived out. I am not sure how Mom and Dad managed all of us!!

Then in 1975 when our country was welcoming Vietnamese refugees Mom and Dad and our family welcomed a family of 11 Vietnamese to come and live in our home. So, for several months we had 22 people living in our modest home.

    I do remember Thanksgiving that year. I remember that we had over 40 people in our home, including our relatives, I remember that we had to eat in two shifts and that we had no leftovers.

    This was all a normal part of life in our family. At least what I was being shaped with as a result of adoption and sponsoring refugees. I grew up with adoption as a part of faith; to include people in your family.

 

8.)    So, you are being invited/challenged to adopt a shut in, a college student, a class. You are needed to love them. You are needed to include them in on your family. You are needed to grow your faith by including others in your life.

    I look forward to hearing of some of the neat stories of the experiences that you will have in your adoption process in the weeks ahead.

 

9.)    I "Googled" Adoptions Stories and found a web site called American Adoptions and I read a few of the stories of families there. They were interesting and heartwarming. You can go there or other sites I am sure to see how adoption has touched lives.

Steven Curtis Chapman, a Christian musician, and his wife have adopted several children. They also have a ministry to help children. This is great. It is vital to have the spirit of adoption and live out your faith as God leads you in your life. Perhaps God wants you to begin by adopting a person knowing that in the future God might be leading you to adopt a child in your family.

 

10.)    What is your story as it relates to your connection to adoption? I invite you to take a few moments and share with another person your story. Then we will hear one or two stories. (Have people share and then invite one or two to share to the congregation.)

 

Closing Prayer