The Lutheran Hour
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"Family of Faith"
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Text: Romans 8:15
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Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed! The Savior’s victorious defeat of death tells us that we are freed from sin, Satan, and death. By the Savior’s sacrifice, we are adopted as sons and daughters into the Father’s family of faith.
Years ago I came across an old story, the truth of which I cannot verify. The story comes from Spain, and it tells of a father who had a falling out with his eighteen-year-old son, Paco. In a rage, Paco, the son, disappeared, and the father set out to find his boy. The father searched for months, but was never able to locate the young man. Finally, in an act of desperation, the father took out an advertisement in a Madrid newspaper. The ad simply read: “Dear Paco. Meet me in front of this newspaper’s office at noon on Saturday. All is forgiven. I love you. Your Father.” Saturday came. The father waited for his son at the front doors of the newspaper’s office. And the son? By noon over 800 Pacos showed up looking for forgiveness, love, and reconciliation from their fathers.
Is that story true? Is it possible that there might be 800 Pacos, or Freds, or Johns, or Ediths, or Joans or Merediths who feel cut off from family, who feel alienated from their fathers? I don’t know. I do know that within each of us there is a desire to be loved, to be part of a family. As that story shows, finding such a loving family can be difficult. Now, please contrast that story with another which begins with a Sunday school teacher who was completing the roster for her new class of six-year-olds. She didn’t need a lot of information, just the name of the student, the name of his parents, and the child’s birthday. One student said his name was Ben Fisher. His parents were Bob and Martha. He was born on June 5th. Another student said his name was Todd Fisher. His parents were also named Bob and Martha. “Must be twins,” the teacher thought. Apparently not. The second child was born on June 23rd. The teacher, doing some quick mental calculations, thought, “Same parents, but born more than two weeks apart.” The teacher blurted out, “That’s not possible. Your mother couldn’t have been in labor for two-and-a-half weeks.”
The mystery was solved when one of the boys, Ben, confessed, “No, it’s very possible. One of us is adopted.” The teacher, against her better judgment, asked, “And which of you is adopted?” The boys gave each other a knowing look. Finally one of them answered. “We wanted to know that, too. That’s why we went to Dad and asked him. He said, ‘Boys, I love you. both…and, I just can’t remember which of the two of you your mother and I adopted.'”
Is that story real? I think it is. If it isn’t, it ought to be. I do know that God created good parents with a desire to love their little ones.
A God-given desire to love little ones is one of the reasons why people adopt a child into their family. God has placed desire into their hearts to be part of a family.
God has placed a similar desire to be part of a family within each child. If you want to see how strong a desire this is, watch the TV show Cops. You don’t have to watch too many episodes before you’ll see an officer walking up the steps of a run-down, ramshackle house. If things are bad on the outside of the house, they are worse on the inside. Filth is everywhere. Cats and dogs seem to be all over the place. Apparently, nobody lets them out, nobody cleans up after them. Dirty dishes are stacked in the sink. They’ve been left there for days. Bedding is soiled. Bathrooms are sickening and smelly. The children are unwashed, unfed, and uncared for. Rats and roaches, mice and microbes are everywhere.
Seeing the squalor, you will ask, “Why have the mother and the father allowed such conditions to exist? Why don’t they do something?” The story line will tell you. They can’t. Dad is on drugs and is incapable. Mother supports his habit by prostituting herself. Dysfunctional describes what you are seeing. Still, when the officer decides to remove the children from such a horrible home, the children resist. They cry. They sob. They scream. So strong is the desire of these children to be part of a family, even one as poor and pitiful as this one; so powerful is the urge to be with their parents, the children almost always cry out, “Don’t take me away. I want my Daddy. I want my Mommy.” To prevent their separation from parents, the children kick, they push, they run, they hide. The officer tries to explain to them that they’re going to be taken care of; that they’ll be better off. The explanation doesn’t help. God has placed within children a desire to be part of a loving family.
I am fully aware that some of you will disagree with what I’ve been saying. Somewhere, way back in your past, you were abused. That abuse may have been verbal, with your self-esteem being battered and bruised on a regular basis. Your abuse may have been physical, with beatings and improper sexual advances being made by the very individuals who should have been protecting you. That abuse may have shown itself in constant neglect. Looking back, your life was dark and depressing; joyful times, birthdays, Christmases, family feasts, and festivals were filled with frustration and fighting.
As you listen to my words, you may feel a choking in your chest, a feeling of nausea sweeping over you. You are swept up in a maelstrom of emotion, filled with a horrible hatred for your mother or father who neglected and hurt you. You don’t want to feel that way, but you can’t help yourself. You continue to carry, within yourself, a pain that you cannot completely share, not even with friends who are closest to you, not even with your own beloved husband or wife. Still, I know, deep down inside of you there is a knowledge of what ought to have been. I know that within you is a steely determination, a conscientious commitment to do all that you can to make sure your children never suffer as you did. All the abuse you have endured, has not wiped out the longing to be part of a loving family.
If that is what you are feeling – please, be assured that, in Jesus, who has already forgiven you for all that you have done wrong, it is possible to find the ability to forgive those who have wronged you. Jesus, who understands your pain can bring about hope and healing. He can, unless you say, “No”, turn you from the painful past, and point you to the future, a new future filled with hope and happiness.
You’re smiling a sad, cynical smile, aren’t you? You don’t believe you will ever be part of a loving family, do you? You don’t think that things will ever be right in your life. Well, all of those things can happen, and God’s holy Word shows the way. To the church at Rome, Paul wrote, “You did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave to fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption…by Jesus, you can say, ‘Abba, Father.”‘ I know, I know, that doesn’t seem to be pertinent to what I’m saying. But, please, be patient. Let me explain what the Lord is trying to tell you.
Throughout this message I’ve been saying that God has put into us a desire to be part of a family, to be loved, and to love. That is absolutely true. When God placed those desires into the first human hearts, it was not a hope, it was a reality. God, the heavenly Father did everything right for His children. He loved them and gave them all that they needed. In God’s first human family there was no sadness, or sorrow or sickness or death. In God’s family there were no problems or pains; no hurts or heartbreak. No one was neglected; no one was ignored; no one was abused. God said, in no uncertain terms that He was ready to listen, to help, to guide, and to protect His children. In His wisdom, God made it so that the children and grandchildren, and every generation that would be born into this world would forever enjoy the benefits of being part of God’s loving family.
Things could have, would have stayed that way if God’s children had not rebelled against His Fatherhood. You know, in our courts, when parents adopt a child, they can never say, “Woops, I made a mistake. I’d like to trade this child in on a newer model.” Once an adoption is finalized, those parents remain parents for the life of that child. But…even if the parents must remain committed, the child has the ability to revoke his adoption. Well, that’s what happened with our first ancestors. God made them His children. He had adopted them into His family. He would never have changed the relationship. But they walked away. Our first ancestors decided that they knew better than their Father. They thought they knew, better than He, how things should be run. Defiantly they followed their desires and walked away from the Father’s family. Their thoughts, their actions said, “Lord, we don’t want anything to do with You or Your family.”
That attitude, and those words, changed the world. They have certainly changed your past, your future, your life. You see, when humanity rejected its Father, sin entered into the world. Have you experienced pain in your life, hurt, disappointment, unfairness? You have endured these things because of sin and separation from the Father. Has your family life been filled with anger, abuse and argument; with pettiness and problems; with neglect and envy? These, too, stem from rejection of the Father. Every pain this world possesses; every problem that presents itself comes from humanity’s deliberate and disastrous disassociation from God and the perfect family of which we had once been a part.
What is worse, there was nothing we could do to get back into God’s family. We had said that we didn’t want to be His children, and so it was. We had decided to be lost, and we were. We were doomed, damned, and we would die without being part of God’s family. It was just. It was fair. What reasonable person could deny it, or argue against it? No one. Except for God. You see, although we didn’t want to be part of God’s family; although we stopped loving Him; He never stopped loving us. He found a way that could bring us back. No sooner had we sinned than He shared His plan that would allow us to be adopted back into His family.
No, He didn’t set aside His laws and say, “Forget about it.” A just God, no matter how much He loves, can’t do that. No, He came up with a plan that is so unbelievable as to defy logic. The heavenly Father said, “My Son, My only Son, the One who has never been disloyal or disobedient, who has never been rebellious will take humanity’s punishment.” So that we might be adopted into God’s family, the Father said, “Jesus will become one of you.” He will live the perfect life you should have lived; He will reject the temptations to which you so easily fall; He will die the death that your disobedience demands.
And so it was. Jesus Christ, God’s Son, was born as a baby. True God so He might be perfect; true man so that He might be one of us, He came. It was a grand moment. The process which would lead to our adoption had begun. The world should have been glad. It wasn’t. People should have welcomed Him. They didn’t. Everyone should have treated their Savior with honor and respect. That is what should have happened. What did happen is they lied about Him; they beat Him; they whipped Him; they spit at Him; they laughed at His pain, and they nailed Him to a cross. But three days later, when Jesus rose in resurrection victory from the dead, the world was given notice that Jesus had been successful in fulfilling His Father’s plan to save us. The price for our adoption had been paid and the path was now open for us to be brought back into God’s family.
You know, every once in a while, hospitals make mistakes about a baby’s identity. Every now and then you will hear of a child who may have been sent home from the maternity ward with a wrong mother and father. It’s a problem. Everybody wants to be sure that the child ends up with the right parents; but how can anybody tell, with accuracy, where that child belongs? Should we give the child to the richest parents; or the ones with the best lawyers; or the ones who seem to have the happiest home, or even the parents who have the greatest capacity to love? Maybe the baby should be given to the parent it most resembles? None of those are acceptable, are they? Do you know how we tell where that baby belongs? We run a blood test. A blood test will determine that child’s family. A blood test will decide where that child belongs.
And where do you belong? A blood test will tell. No, not your blood. The Savior’s blood. It was shed on the cross for you. Jesus bled so that the price of your adoption might be paid; so that you might be adopted into God’s family. Have you been washed of your sins in the blood of the Savior? If so, by God’s grace and Spirit-given faith, you have received the spirit of adoption into the Father’s family. You are His. Now, nothing can separate you from the love of God which is yours through the blood test of Jesus Christ. Now you have the privilege, the ability to call God, “Abba.” No, I’m not talking about a 1970’s Swedish singing group here. “Abba” is an Aramaic word that means “Daddy.” Because of Jesus, because of your adoption, you can call the Creator of the Universe, the Maker of the seen and unseen world; the all powerful Ruler of time and eternity, “Daddy.”
“Daddy.” It’s a term of endearment. It’s the word used by a little, trusting child who is referring to his benevolent father. “Daddy, will you help me, please.” “Daddy, can you move this for me?” “Daddy, will you make my owwie better?” Daddies can do anything. That’s the way young children think. Later, they find out differently. All too soon they will realize Daddy is not faster than a speeding bullet; He is not more powerful than a locomotive; he is not able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. But our Father in heaven who forgives and loves us will not let us down. Because your Father in heaven loves you, has adopted you, and stands behind you, your life in His family, can be different. No matter what you have experienced in the past, your tomorrow can be different and better. Your eternity, at God’s everlasting family feast will, in Jesus, be perfect. This is the miracle of God’s grace. This is the promise your Savior makes. You are no longer enslaved to your fears. You are God’s son, His daughter, His adopted child, His beloved.
Years ago, a mother had finished helping her adopted teen-age daughter fix her bright red hair for the senior prom. Proudly, mother and daughter went out to dad for his approval. The father took one look and said, “Honey, you’re beautiful. But I don’t know where you get that red hair. I’m blonde, and your mother’s hair is very dark. Nobody in either of our families has that color hair.” The daughter listened and then, with a laugh, said, “Daddy, that doesn’t count. Don’t you remember, I’m adopted.” To which the red-faced father said, “You know honey, sometimes I forget you haven’t always been my daughter. I forget because it seems that this is where you were always supposed to be.”
God, your heavenly Father, doesn’t forget the price that was paid for your adoption. He doesn’t forget the cost that was paid to bring you back into His family. He remembers. He also remembers that now you are where you were you always supposed to be. With Jesus as your Savior, you are released from the slavery of the past and are free to be renewed, restored, forgiven and freed. That is the way it is if you are part of God’s family of faith. And if you are still on the outside looking in; if Jesus is not your Savior, please call us at The Lutheran Hour. We want to introduce you to the heavenly Father who will adopt you; who will love you; who will take care of you today, tomorrow, for eternity. Amen.
LUTHERAN HOUR MAILBOX (Questions & Answers) for July 10, 2005
ANNOUNCER: And it’s time once again for Lutheran Hour Questions and Answers with Pastor Ken Klaus. I’m Mark Eischer. Today’s questions, actually two questions: “Is it true that, as long as you believe, you don’t need to go to church in order to go to heaven?” And the second question, “Do I need to attend a church in order to be baptized?” It sees to me that there’s a common thread that runs through both of these questions, and that is, “Is church attendance necessary?”
KLAUS: I like those questions. They’re honest. Well, what can we say? I’ll start out with a simple answer, and then probably give you a more complex one.
ANNOUNCER: What’s the simple answer?
KLAUS: The simple answer is, no, you don’t need to go to church to go to heaven–so long as you believe. The answer to the second question is also a no. No, you don’t have to go to church to be baptized.
ANNOUNCER: But haven’t you just let a lot of people off the hook? They’re all going to sleep in on Sunday morning because you’ve given them the OK.
KLAUS: Well, it’s true. You don’t have to go to church to be saved. Apparently, the believing thief who was crucified with Jesus wasn’t baptized and the Lord promised him that he would be going to heaven. The believers in the Old Testament weren’t baptized and they are also in heaven. The sixteenth chapter of Mark indicates that it is the absence of faith that condemns us, not our absence in church.
Same thing when it comes to baptism, Jesus says that we are to be baptized in the Name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. He doesn’t mention anything about being baptized in the name of a particular church. Baptism, along with the Lord’s Supper and the Scripture, are God’s means through which He delivers forgiveness and grace to us. These are the ways through which the Holy Spirit works and places faith into our hearts.
ANNOUNCER: But aren’t you really pulling the rug out from under all the pastors, teachers, and parents who are trying to encourage young people to develop a habit of regular church attendance?
KLAUS: It’s not meant to be taken that way.
ANNOUNCER: I would hope not. And I would also say you sound somewhat reluctant to have said all these things you’ve said so far.
KLAUS: That’s because I’m reluctant in saying them.ANNOUNCER: Would you tell us why?
KLAUS: I’m glad to. It’s this way: both of these questions are wrong. It s like a bridegroom coming to me and asking, “Reverend, what are the minimum requirements for this marriage? How much time do I really have to spend with my wife? Do I have to eat dinner with her? Do I have to come home at night?” Do I have to tell her I love her? Those are wrong questions. It’s like somebody applying for a job and asking the person who is interviewing him, “How many days of work can I skip before you fire me?” Wrong question. Those questions are so wrong, that I want to say, you’re not ready. If you want to know the minimum requirements for baptism or salvation, you just don’t understand. Baptism is one of the ways the Lord places faith in your heart. He is making you part of His family. He wants you to have all the benefits of being part of His family. That means He wants to communicate with you regularly. That usually means, at least in part, faithful worship. He wants you to have the opportunity of sharing your faith with others, to receive the Lord’s Body and Blood, to have the opportunity to serve others.
ANNOUNCER: Now, some of those things could certainly happen without being a member of a church.
KLAUS: I suppose they can, but in over a quarter-century of parish ministry, I have to say I have never seen it happen. Never. Understand, I don’t have a congregation at this time. I’m not saying this in order to make my church roster grow. I’m saying it because it is right.
ANNOUNCER: Can you explain?
KLAUS: I can. Faith is something that you don’t keep to yourself. It’s something that has to have an outlet. It’s something that should grow. You should want to be closer to your Lord and fellow believers. And if you don’t, it’s a sign that something is probably wrong. One of the earliest descriptions of the church comes from Acts 2. It says: “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes, they ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.”
ANNOUNCER: So I would say the common denominator here, then, is that they were together, meeting regularly, together in Jesus.
KLAUS: They simply couldn’t help it. Nor, by the way, can believers today.
ANNOUNCER: Thank you, Pastor Klaus. This has been a presentation of Lutheran Hour Ministries.