Christmas 1 December 30, 2018 The Sunday of Jesus’ Presentation – Simeon and Anna
First Sunday after Christmas
Luke 2:22-40 & Galatians 4:1-7
December 30, 2018
“Adoption”
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
The Christmas story is also a story of adoption, of course. Lest we ever forget, Jesus was adopted by His earthly father, Joseph. Joseph wasn’t the biological father of Jesus. Yet after an angel visited him in a dream, he decided to adopt Jesus as his own child. And interestingly enough, when Matthew traces the genealogy of Jesus, he does it through the line of Joseph, even though Joseph was an adoptive father. That’s pretty cool. Adoption is a huge part of Christmas and a huge part of the life of our Savior Jesus Christ.
But that’s not the only adoption story at Christmas. Paul tells us of another adoption in our reading today, Galatians 4. He says, “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.”
Here’s a little attempt by me to picture this adoption. Let’s say you have a son at home. An only child. And one day your son brings home a friend to your house. And he explains that his friend doesn’t have a good home and he’d like Mom and Dad to adopt his friend as their own child. Okay. Well, next day, he brings another friend. Again says, “Adopt this one as my brother.” Again next day another friend, “Adopt this one as my sister.” And on and on it goes. Bringing brothers and sisters for you to adopt.
Jesus is the only Son of God the Father. But He keeps bringing people like you and me to the Father and says, “This is My brother. This is My sister.” And God the Father adopts us as His own children.
But there’s another big part of this story, of course. Let’s say that you start to wonder who all these kids are that your son is bringing home. So you investigate and find out that all of them are from an orphanage. It’s a good orphanage but a very strict orphanage. At this orphanage they demand you keep all the rules or you can never leave. And when you break the rules, the punishments are pretty severe.
But you find out that your son has been going there every day working at the orphanage and breaking children out of there every day to bring them to your home for you to adopt them.
Paul explains that you and I are trapped by the law. We are in prison and we cannot get out. We have no home to go to. No loving parents. No comfort. Just the prison of the law.
Now if you have a hard time understanding that, just literally think that you’re in prison. Sitting in a jail cell behind bars. Eating lousy prison food whenever they feel like feeding you. Going where they tell you to go. Doing what they tell you to do. Why are you there? Because you broke the law. Maybe you drove drunk or were caught with drugs or you stole money or you hurt someone. Whatever the case, you’re behind bars. And you won’t ever get out of there unless you keep all the rules. What happens if you keep breaking the laws even while you’re in prison? You’re never going to get out of there. Just like the kids in the orphanage can’t ever leave because they can’t ever keep all the rules perfectly.
Now in our case, we’re in prison because we’ve broken God’s Law. There’s no getting out of this world. You can’t escape this prison. How are you gonna get out of this world? You and I, all of us, we’re dying. Because we’ve broken God’s Law. Now if we were to keep all of the Law perfectly, then we would be free. But we keep breaking the laws. Day after day after day. And we’re trapped. We’re dying and all around us is death. Along with sin and evil.
Wouldn’t we like to be free? Wouldn’t we like to live in a world where we don’t ever die? Wouldn’t we like to live in a world where there’s forgiveness and mercy? Wouldn’t we like to live in a world where we have a loving Father who takes care of all our needs because He loves us and because He adopts us as His own sons and daughters?
Yet we’re trapped in this prison world where we sin and die. Where all around us is evil and sin and death. So God sent forth His Son. Born of woman. Born under the Law. Jesus had to come to prison. Had to come to the orphanage. He had to become one of us and live under the law just like us. Now the difference, of course, is Jesus is the only one who can keep the Law perfectly. And He does. Unlike you and me, He doesn’t wish evil on others. Unlike you and me, He doesn’t have impure thoughts about other people. Unlike you and me, He doesn’t worry about money. Unlike you and me, He doesn’t think too much of Himself. Unlike you and me, He’s not apathetic and careless about the things that matter the most. Jesus is perfect.
He doesn’t have to live here. Doesn’t have the follow the Law. But He does. For you and me. Take today’s Gospel, for example, when Jesus goes to the Temple as a young child. He didn’t have to go to the Temple. He didn’t have to be redeemed. He’s the Son of God. Mary didn’t have to be purified. Because the child she gave birth to was holy. Jesus didn’t have to keep any of the Temple Laws. But He did. Because He’s in our place. He was born under the Law to keep it perfectly for us.
Likewise, Jesus didn’t have to be baptized. But He was. For us. Jesus didn’t have to keep the Sabbath. But He did. For us. Jesus didn’t have to pray. But He did. For us. Jesus didn’t have to die on a cross. But He did. For us.
There’s only one legitimate Son of God. Only one. He’s an only child. Only begotten. The rest of us are orphans living in the orphanage of the Law. But Jesus came in to bust us out. And He did on Easter morning. After He had fully kept the entire Law for us, then He took our punishment on the cross, and rose in victory on Easter morning.
Now Jesus takes sinners like you and me home to His Father and says, “Dad, this is my friend. He doesn’t have a home. I’d like you to adopt her as your own child. I paid for all her sins. I kept all the Laws perfectly for her. She needs a new home.
This is the perfect way to end our 2018 theme of “I am Baptized into Christ.” Baptism is adoption. God’s own child, I gladly say it, I am baptized into Christ. We’ve been adopted. We’re God’s own child. His own son. His own daughter. He loves us. He forgives us. He listens to our prayers. He promises to work all things for our good. That’s what an adoptive Father does.
You’ve been adopted in Holy Baptism. Now as a son or daughter, that means you get gifts from Your Dad and an inheritance. So the gift God gives to you right now, that you have right now, is the Spirit. You have the Holy Spirit. And the Spirit helps you to pray. He helps you to trust. He helps you to do good works. Such as the fruits of the Spirit—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. He helps you, like Simeon and Anna in the Gospel reading, to know who Jesus is and be full of joy that He is your salvation.
And you have an inheritance. The will has been notarized and your name is on it. Your name is written in the book of life because you’ve been adopted as God’s son or daughter. So you’re got a share of the inheritance. And the inheritance is huge. The inheritance is truly a place where there is no more death. No more evil. No more Laws or prison. The inheritance that is yours is the kingdom of heaven.
So today then we give thanks to our brother Jesus, who rescued us from the prison of this world, and brought us home with Him to be adopted into God’s family. God’s own child. I gladly say it.
In Jesus’ name. Amen.