"But when the time had fully 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 children." -Galatians 4:4
Merry Christmas! I am Colin Williams from Calvary Episcopal Church in Pittsburgh, and a colleague and friend of your Rector, David Bird. I know that he is as thrilled to be at Calvary right now as I am to be here at Grace Church. Thank you.
In my work in parish ministry, I have had the joy of coming to learn the stories of families who have adopted children. The stories all begin with feelings of hope, longing, and love. One of my parishioners who is actually my age told me the story of the first time she ever laid eyes on the baby girl who was destined to become her daughter. Continually reminded by the agency that formal adoption might be a long way off, perhaps two years if ever, she waited for the chance to fly 24 hours to Russia-an experience not unlike labor she reported afterwards. When my friend returned with the little girl, I asked her, "What words would you use to describe this wonderful experience?" "Hmmm. How about terror and shock!" said the new mommy. She continued, "But these feelings faded quickly after I first saw my daughter. I wondered what I ever worried about, and was overcome by this powerful, unconditional love. Who cares how she got here; I cannot imagine loving her any more than I do. Powerful, unconditional love."
The story of adoption was not foreign to our Christian forebears in the region of Galatia, located in modern-day Turkey. A real mixed bag, Galatia was a cosmopolitan area, with peoples from all over. The Christians here were primarily non-Jewish Gentiles-not part of the original people of God, of Israel, that a long-awaited Jewish messiah was to come and deliver. The Christians in Galatia were not part of the family.
As the Apostle to the Gentiles, Paul was characteristically bold in proclaiming this very fact. In another letter to the Ephesians, also living in Asia Minor, he exhort them to:
"Remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who were once far off have been brought near [in the blood of Christ]. For he is our peace, who has made us both one, and has broken down the dividing wall of hostility...(2:12-14)."
Imagine the delight this must have given the Ephesians to hear that "[they were] no longer strangers and sojourners, but [were] fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God (2:19-20)." Members of the household of God.
Like those first non-Jewish Christians in Galatia, we too are Gentiles. But as Paul reminds us this morning, just as he reminded the Galatians, we are part of the whole family as God, adopted by God through Jesus. And especially now, this season of Christmas reminds us in joyful ways that we are a part of the communion of saints who celebrate Christ's presence in our lives.
Although my mother and my birth mother are the same person, I once felt like an adopted child. Living in San Antonio in the mid 1970's, I refused to go to day-care while my mother attended medical school. I demanded more attention than they could offer-some things never change! Heh heh! So I spent most of the time with a Hispanic family who were great friends of ours, the Hernandezes. Little Joe Bill Hernandez (whose sister was named Billie Joe) Joe Bill and I went to Montessori school together. After school, Joe Bill's mother Lydia would pick us up and we would go to the Hernandez home. I felt like their adopted son!
Now "family" was different for the Hernandezes than it was for me. Family for me was mommy and me, with relatives living in states far from San Antonio, Texas. At the Hernandez home, however, there were aunts and uncles (tias y tios) grandma and grandpas (abuelas y abuelos), cousins (primos y primas), sons and daughters (hios y hias), and brothers and sisters (hermanos y hermanas)-all speaking Spanish faster than I could comprehend at the time. Senora Hernandez often introduced me as her gringo son, Colin [Col-een]. I always liked the sound of "Colin [Col-een] Hernandez" versus "Colin Harrington." She bought me a new lunch box every year and took us to see Star Wars for the first time in 1977. I was their adopted son and felt loved and cared for...the memories touch my life even today.
So whether we are Russian, Galatian, Mexican, Anglo, or Georgetownian, how does adoption happen for us as Christians? Baptism. In a passage from the same letter to the Galatians sandwiched between those we read this morning, Paul proclaims this:
"For in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith. As many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus." (3:27-28).
Through baptism into Christ's Body, the Church, we who were once far are now brought near. And whatever way you come to be a part of the Body, be it after a long absence or through different Christian denominations, I believe that God-like a mother, like my friend the adoptive mother, and Lydia Hernandez-reaches out to us with powerful, unconditional love.
We are all here this morning because we have become God's children through adoption-this is our response to God's unconditional love for us. We have come to worship the God who came to us at Bethlehem at the first Christmas. This morning we are literally on the edge of the third millennium. Our world is still fractured by alienation, bigotry, and the absence of grace in places where it is desperately needed. In the spirit of thanksgiving as adopted children who are called al ways to enlarge the household of God, let us pray.
"All praise and thanks to you, most merciful Father, for adopting us as your own children, for incorporati ng us into your holy Church, and for making us worthy to share in the inheritance of the saints in light; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever" (Book of Common Prayer, page 311).
Amen.