Advent Day 5: Sons

Sorry that this one is a wee bit late. Yesterday we had a Christmas/Farewell party at Green Creations for my compatriots and the English term came to a close with Graduation in the evening. After graduation, Kara and I went out to dinner with our friend who is visiting from Amman. When all was said and done and Kara and I were back home it was 12:30.

I came across an interesting verse in Deuteronomy the other day. Moses begins this book by recounting to the remaining Israelites their journey from Egypt, their stubbornness and rebellion in the desert, and as a result their extra 40 years of wandering in the desert. These 40 years are coming to a close and soon they shall enter the Promise Land. In describing their trek through the desert, Moses puts it this way: Deuteronomy 1:31 "and in the wilderness, where you have seen how the Lord your God carried you, as a man carries his son, all the way that you went until you came to this place." God carries you and me as a man carries his son.

Being called a son of God is no small thing. It was a title that mankind had and threw away. Since then God has made a way for this relationship to be reestablished. John tells us in the opening chapter of his Gospel about how the Word was sent into the earth that He created and cleared the path for man to return to his Heavenly Father. John 1:12 "But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born not of blood nor the will of the flesh nor the will of man, but of God." 

Paul loves this image of the Son gathering adopted sons to the Father through His sacrifice and the imparting of the Spirit that would allow the adoption certificate to be officiated. Romans 9:25-26 "As indeed he says in Hosea, 'Those who were not my people I will call "my people" and her who was not beloved I will call "beloved" And in the very place where it was said to them "You are not my people" there they will be called "sons of the living God."'"

What comes next is the owning of this new identity that we have been given. Our family name has changed from Adam to Christ and we can boldly call on the name of our Father because for a son it is not a bold thing at all to do so. A child calls out to his father because he knows a loving answer will be given and does not fear that his father is too far off to hear him. Romans 8:15-17 "For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry 'Abba! Father!' The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God and if children, then heirs - heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him."