Children of God

Prayer

The Son of God Became a Man

Today marks the beginning of the season of Advent, and throughout our time together, we’re going to reflect on the incarnation. Incarnation is the Christian doctrine, teaching, of Jesus becoming human. To incarnate is to “in flesh”, to take on flesh (think “carnivore”, a meat, or flesh eater).

God becoming human is one of THE great miracles in all of history. It’s one of the great truths - like creation itself, God speaking all of creation into being, just by speaking. Like the resurrection, Jesus rising to life again. These are the great truths that should stir awe and amazement in us because so they are unbelievable, mind-boggling realities. The living God, Lord of all, creator of heaven and earth - took on human flesh, with all of its limitations. We’ll talk more about the wonder of that on Christmas Eve.

But today we want to ask the question “why?”. Why did Jesus come to earth? Why did he bother to humble himself so greatly to become human? C.S. Lewis answers this question beautifully, “The Son of God became a man to enable men to become sons of God.”

Lewis has just wonderfully summarized what the apostle John declares in the first chapter of his Gospel, John 1:9-14...The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. 14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Whereas Luke and Matthew, when they tell the Christmas story, the story of Jesus’ birth, they give us the human element, what’s happening in the lives of Joseph and Mary and Zechariah and Elizabeth and King Herod and the three wise men. But John gives us the big picture view, the cosmic view, he starts with describing Jesus as the Word, The Word was in the beginning, and the Word was with God and the Word was God. This is the Word that then became flesh and made his dwelling among us. The Word is also the light, the true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world.

Jesus is the true light. The light that overcomes the darkness - no matter what darkness we endure, Jesus is the one who brings light, life itself. This amazing truth, Jesus coming to us to let his light shine to all of us in the midst of our darkness.

Sadly, tragically, as John describes in his gospel, we rebuffed this amazing gift. He made this world, he made us, yet when he came to us, we didn’t recognize him. We couldn’t see it. And his own people, the chosen people, the Israelites - he came to that which was his own, and they rejected him, would not receive him.

And yet - here’s the hope in the midst of this tragic response to the True Light coming into the world: and Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God. Note that not everyone gets to be a child of God (and I point that out because often when someone refers to a child of God, it’s a reference to any and every human, but that’s not what it says here). It’s those who receive Jesus, who, by faith, embrace Jesus. When we let his light into our lives, we are embraced by Jesus into his family, we are given the right to become sons and daughters of God.

And that’s exactly what we want to dig into this morning, what does that mean? What is Jesus enabling us to become? What is a child of God? Jesus went to great lengths in order to make this happen - it’s a huge move from heaven to earth. Why is this such good news?

Children of God

I think one of the best ways I can describe this is by telling a story about a family I know fairly well, the Cox family, several of their children are our Capernaum friends. But one of their children, a very recent addition, is not special needs - but he has quite a story of his own. His name is Cameron Cox, but that’s not what it was originally, when the Cox family took him in as a foster child.

A few things that are helpful to know about the Cox family. This is not your average family, by a long shot. They have eleven children (and are fostering an additional child), and their kids come in every shape, size and color. Several of them have intellectual and developmental disabilities, a couple of them are their biological children, most are not. Several of them are black, others white, others Asian. It’s an amazing family. You can imagine they get quite a few second looks when they are traveling together.

So, just over a year ago, on September 22, they brought eight-year-old Taylor into their home in order to foster him on a short term basis, to provide respite care. It was only supposed to be a short time, for ten days. But even that made Kari, the mom, nervous, because Taylor had quite the reputation. He had bounced from foster home to foster home, nobody kept him longer than three months - nobody. Taylor was more than a handful - his favorite word was the f-word (eight year old). He’d never been in a regular classroom before - only treatment centers and behavioral classrooms. Because he didn’t know how to behave - he would curse, flip over desks, pee on the floor when he got mad.

So Kari was thinking, this could be ten days of hell. Well, ten days turned into a month. Then social services called at the end of that time and told them that the only place for him was back in a behavioral treatment facility. The Cox family decided they couldn’t do that to him, so they kept him for longer. It was hard. The cursing, the acting out, he hated church, hated to go, didn’t know how to behave (one of the older brothers had to sit with him in Kids church).

But this was the type of family that had a lot of love and a lot of toughness. And they kept loving Taylor. Kept working with him, kept embracing him as part of their family. And kept teaching him, holding him accountable, correcting him. And little by little, day by day, Taylor began to change his behavior. He began to realize that this was a family that was going to continue to love him no matter what.

One year later, a lot has changed. It’s not hyperbole to say that Taylor has undergone a transformation. Earlier this year he came to faith in Christ, got baptized and now loves going to church. He started this school year in a regular 4th grade class room. And on October 2, his whole life changed. Taking a new name, he was adopted into the Cox family as Cameron Edward Cox, eleventh member of the Cox family. It’s a day he’d been looking forward to, a day he’s dreamed about, to be a part of a real family. In the family photo from that day, Taylor - Cameron - is wearing a t-shirt that says, “Thankful for my family.”

Just an amazing story, so fun. It really helps us see what God intends for us as well. Cameron’s story is our story. The reason Jesus came, reason the Son of God became a man, was to enable this kind of transformation in us. The Son of God wants us to join him in becoming sons of God. And this is true in two different ways - for our family identity and our family resemblance.

And this morning I want to focus on the family identity aspect. It all begins here - a whole new sense of identity, but (and this is essential) it is not a self-derived identity, an identity in isolation, it is not a “I decide who I am”, which is such a common phenomenon today. It is an identity rooted in relationship, in family relationship. I come to know who I am in relationship, in family relationship. I come to know who I am in relationship to others. In this case, God himself.

As it was for Cameron, this new sense of identity rooted in relationship with God himself ought to fundamentally change our whole sense of who we are.

I love that Cameron changed his name - captures the brand new start of his life. It has both the personal - Cameron Edward, but the family connection as well, he is now part of the Cox family. Interestingly, we actually see such name changes in the Bible, as different people move into covenant relationship with God. Abram becomes Abraham. Sarai, Sarah. Simon becomes Peter.

But here’s the part you may not realize, it’s not all one direction. God’s name changes, too. He refers to himself not simply as “God” but the God of Abraham, God of Isaac, the God of Jacob. He takes on a new name as he moves into covenant relationship with others. I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that God is also now the God of Rob, God of John, God of Michelle - those are his names…God willingly connects himself to us, because we’re family now. And that part of his identity, who he is, in relationship to us, our Father. God knows himself as your Father. My Father. He embraces that role. He cherishes being our Father.

And we should cherish being his children. Don’t miss how essential this is to discipleship, to us becoming sons of God. To claim this change in identity, to say, I am no longer who I was. I am now and forever connected to the Father and to the Son, to Jesus, and to the Spirit. I am eternally a child of God. His beloved son. His precious daughter.

Paul describes it this way in Galatians 3:26-28, So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, 27 for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

We are clothed with Christ - like Cameron sporting his t-shirt, “Thankful for my Family”, we wear the person of Jesus on us, it covers us. And it is now the most essential thing about us. As we consider who we are, this is where we start. That’s what Paul is saying here - it’s not your ethnicity or nationality (whether your Jew or Greek or whatever), it’s not your profession or economic or social status, it’s not even your gender. These are all secondary, they pale in comparison.

You know, so much of the joy for Cameron was to be a part of the Cox family, to be connected, to belong to something bigger then himself - whereas, beforehand, he did not feel as if he belonged…anywhere. And though he probably wouldn’t have been able to articulate it, I think he doubted he would ever be fully embraced by any family, as deeply as he longed for it, as we all do. So those walls came up, he acted out.

Until, little by little, he began to trust that there was a place for him here, that he would be loved, accepted, valued, seen as one who has something to offer. Then he wanted in! All in!

In the same way, by receiving Jesus, by claiming the right to become children of God, we’re entering into something bigger, grander. It’s not just that we become sons and daughters - we are now sons and daughters of the King. The one who is ruler of all, one who reigns over the heavens and earth. (See all this, my Dad owns it). God is establishing that reign here on earth (Which is exactly what we pray for in the Lord’s Prayer, for God to reign over everything, everything in willing obedience to him - Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven). And as his sons and daughters, we get to be a part of that work, because this is where we belong. That’s the family business. You might say the royal family business.

That’s why we’re collecting mac-n-cheese boxes and volunteering at the Community Cupboard - because in God’s kingdom, the hungry are fed. Why we put together shoeboxes full of gifts for children around the world - because in God’s kingdom, there is generosity, joy. Why God’s followers care for the sick. Visit the lonely. Discipleship always moves us into mission, God’s mission.

It means loving others toward the Kingdom…Neighborhood. Capernaum. Why the Cox family takes on foster kids. Turns out the Cox family isn’t done - they’ve brought in another, younger foster child into their family - pouring love into him as well. It’s what the Kingdom of God is all about, and we’re sons and daughters of the King.

How essential this sense of family identity is, to embrace it for ourselves - and do so joyfully, what an amazing gift that God would take us in as he does, through Jesus.

When you think about a young couple, when they get married, they are at that point, starting a new family. How strange would it be if, right after the wedding, husband said to his new wife, “Wow! that was a lot of fun. It was great. Maybe we’ll do it again sometime soon. I’ll see ya around.” And then he took off.

No. They start their life together. They are now relationally connected. In marriage, you don’t see your life without that person. Rather, you share it. This is what Jesus has enabled to happen, for you and I, to become children of God. Why he came. We want to live into it, embrace it, enjoy it.

Years ago, when I was doing youth ministry, one of my dear friends in college invited me to come on a trip for his youth and be the speaker for the week. He was at a church in California, and the trip was on a houseboat that would tour around the Sacramento Delta. Part of the experience was to go on shore and for everyone to have a three hour quiet time on their own. I’d never done anything like that before, I was a little apprehensive. But the thing about spending that much time in quiet with God, is sooner or later you settle down, distractions fade and you become aware of the presence of God. I don’t remember a whole lot about that trip, but I do remember this - I had an experience of God being with me as Father, and embracing me, like a spiritual hug, affirming his love for me. It was a profound moment of knowing myself as his, his child.

Now, there’s a lot more to say here, because relational identity is only half of it. The other half is what I would call “Family Resemblance”. This is the “like Father, like Son” aspect. Transformational aspect, what we would take on the character, likeness, of Jesus. Talk more about that over the next several weeks as we look at some of the things that are essential to enable us to become Sons of God.

Spiritual Disciplines - to put into practice, embrace our identity as children of God, to know ourselves as sons of the heavenly Father, daughters of the King. It’s the kinda of thing that should make us strut a little - think about what that really means. If you lived in an actual kingdom and you were one of the King’s kids, you’d have a very different sense about you…that’s the point, you do live in an actual kingdom and you are one of the King’s kids.

One thing you might do, is to memorize and pray Matthew 3:17 every day this week. This is the Father speaking to Jesus as his Baptism. But these are words that we can claim as we become, through Jesus, children of God. Hear this for yourself: And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” Pray in response to God.

Or, as you pray, be intentional about speaking to God as Father (after all, isn’t that what Jesus taught us?). As you pray, talk to God as Father - Abba, Father, Poppa, Daddy. You might write a prayer out this week, expressing your gladness to belong to our Father. The idea is to embrace this identity, this knowing, I am a child of God.

Move to Communion - Galatians 3:26-27...