Advent Devotion - Day 20

Join us through this special time of Advent as we dive deeper into the Word of God. Each day, we will pray and reflect on a different passage from Scripture. Daily Readings are from the Revised Common Lectionary Daily Readings, and reflections are written by our church staff.

Holy Father,

When the waves come crashing in, you are my rock: you protect me. You call me, "dear child," and assure me all will be well because you are there in every moment. Lord, in you I find my identity; you have led me to be who I am. I am thankful for being an adopted son, an heir. Amen.

Galatians 4:1-7

What I am saying is that as long as an heir is underage, he is no different from a slave, although he owns the whole estate. ² The heir is subject to guardians and trustees until the time set by his father. ³ So also, when we were underage, we were in slavery under the elemental spiritual forces[a] of the world. ⁴ But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, ⁵ to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship.[b] ⁶ Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba,[c] Father.” ⁷ So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir.

Have you ever had an experience in your life where your very identity was shaken? Who am I and where do I come from? We see the ads on television all the time to get a DNA test and find out who we really are. This very question came into sharp focus for me in December 1988. I was a senior in high school, excited about graduating and moving into my future. One night, after attending my half-sister’s Christmas play, I returned home to find one of Mother’s oldest friends, Phillip, was visiting. I hadn’t seen Phillip in a couple of years, so it was a pleasant surprise, until it wasn’t.

Mother and Phillip began to tell me in a very awkward way, that Phillip was my biological father. I was shocked, stunned, dumbfounded, and unable to process the totality of this news. As the weeks went on, my very identity began to crumble around me. Who am I? From where do I come? Is it true? Did my Dad, the man who raised me, did he know about this? I was 17 years old at the time; I was lost and confused. I tried talking with close friends about it, but they were of no help. I talked to Mom about the whole situation, but nothing ever satisfactory came of it in my mind. Finally, I needed to talk to Dad. He was always a strong sense of direction for me, he was a rock in my life.

We met, as usual at Kipps Big Boy on Reno and Meridian. I didn’t know how to begin, so I just blurted it out. Dad looked at me, put his hand behind my neck, and pulled me to him to where our foreheads were touching, and we were eye to eye. He said, “Son, you are mine and always will be. I love you!”

In Galatians, Paul confirms for us that we are sons of God. Jesus laid his very life down to take on not only my sins, but yours as well. We have received the full rights of sons and daughters of God. Because of this, God sent the Spirit to dwell in our hearts, who calls out, “Abba, Father!”  It is God, the Father, reaching out and placing his hand on your neck and drawing you in, forehead to forehead, eye to eye, and saying, “You are mine. I love you!”

How do you see your relationship with Jesus? Do you know that you have been drafted into the family of God, a son or daughter, with full rights?