Anna's Adoption Celebration

Gathering here this afternoon is a celebration, a time to rejoice together, and give praise to God for answering the prayers of his people.

As a church, as a community, as friends and family of the Bass’s we have been praying with them that God would work things out in such a way that would allow the Bass family to adopt Anastasia.

And we are here today because God has answered that prayer!

The Adoption of Anna tells such a marvelous and glorious story. And when we consider the story that it tells we realize that it doesn’t just tell a story… but it tells the story.

My prayer for you, Daniel, Dara, Josiah and Avery, is that you will, day in and day out remember, and be reminded that this adoption tells a story that echos into eternity.

That this story will get into your bones, that it will faithfully told and participated in day in and day out.

The story that this tells is not one that stay in the abstract, but it is a story that effects everything.

Day to day this story looks like

sleepless nights, changing diapers, whipping tears away, cleaning dirt out of scrapes, endless cleaning, and training.

The story plays it self out in teaching to count and to say please and thank you.

In stained church clothes and endless dress up outfits

The story is told around the dinner table, and through family devotions.

It continues to be told in feelings of

desperation,

frustration,

exhaustion,

By adopting Anastasia you are participating in and telling the story of redemption, grace, faithfulness, mercy and joy.

Adoption tells the story of sacrificial and covenantal love.

Its a beautiful story… because it tells THE story.

Adoption uniquely invites us to participate in the story that God has been telling from the beginning.

It embodies and proclaims the story of the Father’s redeeming grace and his steadfastness and patience

It tells the story of God’s sacrificial love and covenant faithfulness.

This adoption story is weaved into the stories of creation, of God’s promise to Abraham, of the exodus, of the promise land, It tells the story of Israel as a whole, and it tells the story of the incarnation.

Adoption is one of the first stories in the bible.

The first Father mentioned in the Bible is not Adam, but rather its God himself. God the Father Adopted Adam as his son.

As Father, God provided everything Adam needed, he gave him a home in the garden, he gave him food to eat, he gave him dignity, purpose, and a mission, and he gave him a wife to be by his side. And most of all, God gave himself to Adam.

The Father gave his son everything he needed.

Daniel and Dara, Josiah and Avery, this is what you are giving to Anna.

As God provided for Adam, so God is providing for Anna through your family.

Anna will never have to wonder where she belongs, she will never have to question if her parents love her,

She will never have to wonder who her father is

who her mother is

or who her brothers are

she will never have to wonder who she is… for she is Anastasia Bass, a full fledged member and participant of every joy and every blessing of your family.

Because of her adoption, she will never remember a time where Christ was not at the center of her home, she will never remember a time where she was not prayed for, loved with the love of Christ, sung over and cherished as a child of God.

Adoption is the greatest story because it is the story of the gospel.

Its fascinating to think Before there was marriage, before there was sin, before there were biological children, there was adoption.

Adam was the first created being, and he was brought into a relationship with God through adoption.

God adopted Adam as his own son.

Adoption is the way in which God will give his glory, his grace, his love, his mercy, his inheritance to the world.

Adoption is the means by which all of God’s children are brought into the eternal life of Christ.

Galatians 4:4–7 ESV

But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.

Adoption is a redeeming work. Its to take us out of slavery…

but not just out of something, but to something.

We are redeemed out of slavery to sin and we are brought into the family of God.

This is the story you are participating in with Anna

She has been redeemed, she has been saved, and brought out of a near hopeless situation… but she has not only been taken out of something, she been brought into something. She has been brought into your loving arms, into your safe and secure home, she has been brought into your family. And the body of Christ.

And this is the story God wrote for you since before the foundations of the world.

This is the eternal plan of God, that you would adopt Anna, this beautiful 16 month old image bearer of the eternal God.

In the same way, he has brought all of us into his story of adoption before the foundations of the world.

Ephesians 1:5 ESV

he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will,

Before the world began God chose to adopt us to himself as sons through Jesus Christ.

And we are here able to celebrate Anna’s adoption because we too have been adopted

We are able to celebrate Anna’s new life in a loving family, because we too have been given new life in the family of God

We are able to celebrate Anna’s future, because we too have been given a future in Christ.

We are able to celebrate anna receiving a new name, a new hope, a new identity… because we too have received a new name, a new hope, and a new identity in Christ.

And for this reason we have much to celebrate!

Daniel and Dara

God has once again shown himself strong and faithful toward you by answering your prayers to adopt Anna. Never forget the blessing and promises given to you as adopted children of God, and never withhold those same blessings and promises from Anna, your new daughter.

Raise her in the fear and admonition of the Lord, tell her the story of God’s faithfulness in answering your prayers, and remind her day in and day out of the glorious goodness of our heavenly Father.

Josiah and Avery

God has also answered your prayers for a Sister. As Christ is our brother so you are both Anna’s brothers. She is going to look up to you differently than he looks up to anyone else. She is going to look to you for protection, for security, and as an example. Show her what it looks like to obey mom and Dad, show her what it looks like to be a child who lives a life in the Joy of the Lord.

Church

God has also answered our prayers as we have joined the Bass family in petitions that they would be allowed to adopt Anna. Let us never shrink back from encouraging, blessing, and reminding the Bass family of the grace and goodness of Christ.

We are the hands of feet of our Lord, let us bless the bass family as such by offering help, encouragement, friendship, rest, and most of all let us never cease from reminding them of the story of God’s goodness, his unrelenting love and faithfulness in Christ.