Sermon for July 20th

“You did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption.” There are many reasons to be afraid of God when you think about it. Things like hurricanes, and ice storms, cancer that shows up out of nowhere and genetic diseases that no one seems to have any control over. Many people look at God and wonder why anyone would worship a God who allows these kinds of bad things to happen to good people. They are afraid of God and for good reason. God can do anything he wants at any time. In fact, we are all destined to fear God as long as we don’t know how he feels about us. Until God lets you know what he thinks of you, you live in fear of God. No matter how many good things we might do, we just can’t be sure what might happen.

In baptism, God declares his will, his purpose and his intentions. He wears his heart on his sleeve. For those of you who have been baptized, God has adopted you into his family. You are his child. He has told you that he loves you once and for all. Even if storms thunder around you, disease attacks your body or suffering of any type comes into your life, God promises that you are his and nothing will snatch you out of his hand. You are his child forever even after death. This is what baptism means for you. This is also what it means for Willa and Olivia who were baptized here this morning. God has made a promise to you and to them that they and you are part of his family now and you do ever have to be afraid of him again.

But adoption is about more than just love. There is a legal aspect to it as well. Not only does your adopting Father, God himself, love you as his very own child, but, as his child, you have the right to an inheritance. Because you were adopted by God, this inheritance is your by legal right. It is this inheritance that gives you the sure and certain hope of eternal life.

Children are sometimes adopted because their birthparents could not provide what was necessary for their life together. Christian parents can understand this predicament very well. We place our children and ourselves in God’s hands because we realize that we are unable to provide certain things by ourselves—eternal life can only be found in God. We love our children so much we ask God to adopt them. In baptism, God welcomes you into his family and takes all you have as his own—your sin, your suffering, and your death. In return, he gives you all that he has—the forgiveness of sins, life and salvation.

“For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption. When we cry,’Abba! Father’ it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ—if, in fact, we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.” Now what is going on here! What about that big fat “if” at the end! “If” we suffer, then we will be glorified? What does that mean?

It would be easy to say that suffering is inevitable, because it is, but there is more to this statement than just that. We are not talking about just the general idea of suffering here. This is more like the suffering children go through when their family suffers. The fact that only a real member of a family knows when their family is hurting and hurts along with it. When company is over you might cook steak even if every other day you only eat soup in order to save money. I remember one time when my Grandma came over and was very impressed that our house looked so tidy. I explained to her that it had better look tidy, because we had spent all week cleaning and stuffing things in closets. Only a part of the family knew how much “suffering” had been happening to make it look that way. After you are married, you know that you are really a member of the family when your in-laws find the TV more interesting than you.

I think about the little boy from Africa who was adopted by the singer Madonna. That little boy no doubt enjoys some benefits from being Madonna’s son. They are a family and so when she is successful, her son can celebrate the success with her. However, I’m sure that Madonna’s son must also endure some suffering because of Madonna’s lifestyle and the stigma of being her child. This is what happens when you are part of a family.

As Christians we live with the hope of eternal life, but for now, there are times when the stigma of being a Christian involves suffering. You are a part of Christ’s family now, so when his name suffers insult and his church is attacked, you can expect to feel some pain as well. Not just because suffering is a part of life, but because God himself has adopted you and you are a part of his large extended family. So, that big ol “if” in the passage I read, isn’t so much demanding that you suffer, but pointing out that even suffering can bring you peace once when that suffering comes on account of God’s Word. Martin Luther argued that suffering was a sign of the church, because where God’s Word is preached in its truth in purity, suffering is bound to come as well.

Despite the dangers of being a Christian, you need not fall back into fear. You have been adopted and you will be God’s child forever. He’ll never give you up. Even when there is suffering in this world, you do not have to face it alone. You are part of God’s family and so we support one another. God will never leave you to fend for yourself. You can be assured that the problems in this life are nothing compared with the glory about to be revealed for you and for them. You are God’s beloved children, God’s adopted children, and he has promised to love you, to be your Father and to be your God forever. Amen.