Category: Sonship

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Son of God, Light of the World

Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” John 8: 12

Dear Sisters in the Lord Jesus Christ,

It is December 26, night has fallen, and a bit of the blues of another Christmas Past clouds my evening. Alas, all the house decorations, all the gifting particulars, all the music practices, and all the festive gatherings culminated in, what is now, yesterday. Christmas Day has come and gone. Already I await the First Sunday of Advent—next year! That sets my mind on something merry and bright for the next 52 weeks! O Come All Ye Faithful!

Thankfully the delight of Christmas lights that twinkle and shine in the neighborhoods, in the shopping centers and in the parks extend the spirit and the joy—hopefully until Epiphany, January 6. That is the celebration of the visit by certain wise men who brought gifts to the Christ Child. These men, who studied the position of the stars, for whatever reason important to the culture of the times, were fascinated by one specific star in the east. Familiar, also, to the Hebrew Scriptures, they expected the birth of the King of the Jews. The Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 2, verse 2 contains this narrative:

“Where is He who has been born King of the Jews?
For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.”

These highly educated men depended on the Scriptures and the knowledge that God gave them to seek Jesus in order to worship Him. What a precious reflection of the way God draws us to Himself—through His word and in His creation! We do not have to be academicians to know God. The magnificence of the creation tells about the Creator. Indeed, this is exactly what Paul states in Romans 1, verse 20:

“For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.”

They followed the star to find a King, and when they found Him, they fell to the ground and worshipped Him. Then they presented Him royal gifts: gold for splendor, frankincense for fragrance, and myrrh for soothing. Imagine that—not being Jewish themselves, there was something that moved them to worship this Child-King. Memorialized in the Gospel of Matthew, our Christmas traditions have, through centuries, included the wise men—and gifts—and stars.

O Star of wonder, star of night
Star with royal beauty bright
Westward leading, still proceeding
Guide us to thy Perfect Light.

In our dark world, where sin abounds, where anxieties and fears paralyze, where troubles and sickness hurt, where things and desires overtake, where hatred and warfare kill, we need the Perfect Light. That Light is Jesus, who took upon Himself our sins and guilt on a dark day in the midst of a blaming mob, so that we, who believe on Him and trust that He died on our account, will have eternal life with Him. Jesus, the only Son of God, left His resplendent Heavenly throne to become like us in every way, but sin, and obeyed His Father in every aspect, where we could never obey Him.

In retrospect, Dear Sisters, this day after Christmas has actually turned into a sweet and joyful time. Our Christmas tree never looked so sparkling, there are still a few radio stations playing Christmas music, and there are still some cookies in the tins. Above all, I am glad that you and I have spent this time together, reflecting on the True Light. Joy to the World!

Merry Christmas,
Mimi

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We Are Family

Dear Sisters,

Did you realize that Jesus was not a direct descendant of Solomon? I didn’t. I simply assumed as Jesus was of the family of David, assuredly He had His lineage through the wisest, most famous, and most powerful Israelite king. He didn’t. The most widely accepted theory is that Joseph’s lineage is recorded in the book of Matthew (which does include Solomon), and Mary’s lineage (Jesus’ actual bloodline) is recorded in Luke—with David’s barely mentioned son, Nathan, as Jesus ancestor. Another irony—this son of David bore the name of the prophet who confronted David about his sin with Bathsheba. God’s use of irony and subtlety never ceases to amaze me. God does not ignore sin—how can a holy God do so? But, He can and does forgive such through His Son’s death on the cross. He redeems those lives ruined by sin.

And here is the exciting part: once we have recognized our desperate need for a Savior, and trusted that Jesus is that Savior, we have been released from the law of sin and death (Rom. 8:2) and introduced to a new life. This new life is differentiated by the fact that we are not slaves, mere followers, trembling penitents at God’s feet, but: “For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, ‘Abba! Father!’” Romans 8:14-15. Did you catch that? The Jews of the Old Testament were so cautious about the God of their Fathers and His absolute Holiness that they did not even utter His Name. Jesus’ habit of calling God, “Abba!” was unprecedented at that time. Yet, as believers, we have the same privilege as Jesus—calling God, “Daddy!”

As a slave to sin, I was a cast-out, I couldn’t even venture to glimpse into heaven—I was not known as part of the heavenly family, nor invited. The very walls of heaven would shun such a one as me, and the gates certainly wouldn’t open. Jesus did not make me a step-child, blending me into a family that may or may not include familial love. No, He adopted me. We know a number of families who are pursuing adoption or have already adopted children. These families have prayed for and wept for their children, they waited years and spent thousands of dollars, they struggled through mountains of paperwork all for the hope they would sometime be able to hold that precious one. Oh, those children are loved—they are family! And we believers; adopted by God, prayed for, wept for, waited millennia for, paid for by His Son’s life, with our names written in His Book—oh, we are His beloved children, wholly and completely!

As you enjoy this Christmas season, take time to snuggle down into your Daddy’s arms—grateful to Jesus and His willingness to be humble for us, to offer to us not just cleansing but entrance into His family—characterized by our new name (Christian) and a redeemed way of life.
Running with you,
Rebecca

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Yes, We Need a Little Christmas

Dear sister,

Having moved to a new town I have been in the process of seeking out a new home church. Every Sunday I have been to a different church and the sermon I heard at this Sunday’s church was on how Christmas is about productivity. Now you’re probably raising your eyebrows, but I urge you, dear sister, to keep reading.

During the hectic holiday season it is easy to get lost in family dinners, Christmas decorations, and checking off everyone’s Christmas lists. But this is not the kind of productivity the pastor was getting at. He furthered explained that Christmas is about the productivity that was established in the very beginning.

In Genesis 1:28 God commands Adam and Eve to “be fruitful and multiply.” This verse is not simply referring to reproduction but to the very kind of life the Lord purposed his creation to live. He created us in order to accomplish the work he had prepared for us. He created us to be productive. But what happened? As you’ll remember, Adam and Eve rebelled against God, plunging all of humanity into the deep darkness of sin.

As a result, we now struggle to live productive lives. We struggle to accomplish the things that, before sin, would have been completely natural to do. It is this barrenness that brought Jesus into the world. He came to restore us to the kind of fruitful and productive life that God created us to live.

One of my favorite parts of Christmas is singing Christmas songs but much of today’s popular Christmas music has nothing to do with Jesus or the reason for Christmas at all. “Silver Bells” (now on my list of hated Christmas songs) speaks of Christmas being “Santa’s big scene” and “We Need a Little Christmas” demands tinsel on evergreen boughs, fruitcake, and stockings so that we can feel like it’s Christmas time.

But none of these things give us what we need. Santa isn’t the star of the show. We are in desperate need of restoration so that we can live lives of productivity for Christ as God purposed for us before He even laid the foundation of the world. This is what Jesus brings. This is why we celebrate Christmas—not because Santa Claus is coming to town.

So, yes, we do need Christmas. Without it we remain dead and barren. Christ accomplished what we could not. He did what the Lord had assigned to him and he did it perfectly. Praise be to the Lord that He did too. For there is no other name in which we find life, no other name by which we are saved and no other name by which we can be called sons of God.

Merry Christmas!

Your sister,

Kayla

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Slaves No Longer

“I mean that the heir, as long as he is a child, is no different from a slave, though he is the owner of everything, but he is under guardians and managers until the date set by his father. In the same way we also, when we were children, were enslaved to the elementary principles of the world. But when the fullness of time had 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 sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.” Galatians 4:1-7

My dear sisters,
Paul is reminding the believers in the church of Galatia what they have in Christ. They were reverting back to the law to save them from their sins rather than to trust in Christ for the salvation of their sins. He tells them that the law enslaved them to the ways of the world but there was a much better way to be a son of inheritance…by the birth of a tiny baby in Bethlehem.

This child lived a perfect life honoring his earthly parents and his Heavenly Father. He fulfilled the law of the Jewish nation satisfying the Creators commandments perfectly. Then he was crucified and killed taking the penalty of sin that the law required. The final act was rising again on the third day conquering sin and death. The curtain of the temple was torn in two symbolizing access to the heavenly thrown with no more sacrifice! Both Jews and Gentiles now get God freely by faith in their Messiah…no works required.

Those who put their faith in Jesus, no matter what nationality, have been grafted into the family of God through Christ! He has adopted us as sons! That means we have access to the chosen family with all the inheritance and blessings of a son. We can’t earn this right, God has given it to us freely by faith alone in Christ alone! Wow. Slowly, the realization of the power and amazement of this passage is becoming sweeter to me.

Why has this become sweeter to me lately? We are months away from grafting two more children into the Craig family through adoption. It has taken heartbreak, tears, and years to reach this point. We have fought hard with paperwork, agencies, and even countries. When these two chosen children become Craigs, they will never be orphans again. They will receive all of our inheritance and rights as Craigs. They have been chosen not because of what they have done, but out of our love for them. How exciting! It has made me realize that I was an orphan once, living in poverty and the stench of my own sin, when my Father chose to make me His child, His son (yes, son!) with all the blessings and inheritance that comes from His heavenly home. Not for what I have done, but because of His love for me. So dear sister, rejoice this Christmas! Bask in the glory of Sonship! You have been chosen! Not for what you do or earn, but because of what Christ has finished! You are no longer a slave to the world, you are a son! By His spirit you can cry “ABBA, FATHER!” What a gift! You can come confidently before the throne of God because of your given Sonship. Run to Him this Christmas. Run to your daddy and thank Him for His unconditional love.

Your Sister in Christ,
Colleen