My Adoption Sermon

On Friday, one of the Mom's at our Friday Coop has foster children off and on and she had a 10 day old little girl. So sweet. Anyway, it got me thinking about our adoption and how long it has been and how far away we still are. Aaron was with me that day and he got to see her and the rest of the weekend was filled with my thoughts on our adoption.
All day Friday and esp Satur. my mind was flowing with certain Bible verses. First of all James 1:27 "Religion that our God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." But in the midst of that verse, and meditating on what steps God was wanting us to take next, He kept putting to mind the parable of the talents in Matthew 25.
What kept coming to me was that the Master (God) gave the servants (us) talents. But nowhere in the story do you get the impression that the master gave the servants money to spend on themselves, elevating their status. When the master came back, they were still servants. When the master came back, he held the servants accountable with the money he gave them. At no time was it the servant's money. Even while in the hands of the servants it was always the master's money.
I prayed and read about this, thinking on it and how it applies to me and our lack of adoption funds situation and the abundance of cash flowing through many Christians and how sick and sad it makes me that the ONLY thing standing between starting our adoption again is money. Silly, important money. Money that we don't have. Money that will take forever to make. Money that is keeping our child in the orphanage that much longer.
Fast forward to Sunday morning worship and what does Bill talk about, but Matthew 25 and the parable of the talents. Thank you God for preparing me for his lesson. However, Bill put a slightly different spin on it, that enhanced what I was thinking. He talked about a postage stamp and kind of showed how they compare to people. Each postage stamp looks different, each one has a value on it, they serve a purpose, etc. I can't remember all, but what I do remember is when he talked about when the price of mail goes up, and you have old 40c stamps and the price is now 43c, neither can serve the purpose of sending that mail on it's own. It takes both stamps to accomplish the goal. And it was then that I realized that Aaron and I were the 3c stamp and we need a 40c stamp and together we can accomplish the goal of giving a child or two a home.
So of course I thought on this all afternoon Sunday, ready to talk to Bill about his lesson and how it helped me realize that perhaps Aaron and I can't do it alone, that we will need help from the church, and then Duane preached.
He preached on the Year of Jubilee and how a lot of it was about money, captives, the oppressed,etc. Then he skipped to the new testament and spoke of denying ourselves, taking up our crosses and following Jesus, that now that He has come, we are in a forever year of Jubilee, We can all be set free.
So many times when I hear people talk about adoption they say stuff like well, we would, but we are past the baby stage and don't want to start over (deny yourself), we don't have the money (deny yourself),I am happy with just __ children (deny yourself) what if it turns out bad? (deny yourself) Perhaps adoption doesn't have to be about you, you, you. Perhaps it should be about them, them, them. Jesus says to deny ourselves.
If you read Matthew 25: 14-30 about the talents, don't stop there, because Jesus immediatly goes into another parable. I don't think it is coincidence that right after he talks about being responsible with the master's money he talks about helping the helpless. In Matthew 25 31-46 Jesus talks about separating the sheep and the goats. He will give the sheep on his right their inheritance "for I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me."
To the goats on the left he tells the opposite and they are sent to eternal punishment.
I so wish our church would have an adoption fund and see adoption as a mission and not just for people who can't have kids or as a last resort.
And I know I am being judgemental, but these are some questions in my mind... How can you justifiy buying that 2nd house on the lake that gets visited twice a year, just so you will be cool? How can you see children in need, children without a mommy or daddy to hug them and kiss them goodnight and still think God gave you that ability to earn that money to spend on yourself. Did you ever think that God gave you the ability to make that money so you could use it in His kingdom?
I am all against giving the lazy money. I am so against all these govt. programs for so many people who don't want to get off their rears and work. I also think money to help others should be given freely and not taken from the rich.
On Friday a lady from church joked about her Mom (also a member) driving an expensive "midlife crisis" car. Perhaps it makes her feel better to have a nice, status symbol car, but as a Christian, wouldn't she have felt much better helping a child.?
What is the only thing that can get into heaven? Souls. That is it. You can't take your lake house, your new car, your jewelry, whatever, but the souls you touch can go. Souls of children without hope can have hope with you. You can be a missionary in your own home. I always wanted to be a missionary growing up> I know now that God is not planning that for me. But wait, my home is a mission field. And when you go to another country, or even to this country, you are not going there to preach, but you can bring that child to the mission field of your house. You can live Jesus for them, when they had no hope before.
God knitted the orphans in their birthmother's wombs with as much care as he knitted my biological children in my womb. They are His creation too and He has a plan for them. If only they had parents to show them the Lord.
Lastly, when praying last night, I kept going over with the Lord how I don't want other's money, I don't want to have to depend on others' money for this adoption. How I so don't want to have people just give us money for the adoption. Then I jokingly thought, I want your money Lord, why can't you just give us your money. I would gladly take your money. Then God gently whispered to me "It is my money" And He took me full circle to my meditation/obsession on Saturday with the parable of the talents. And what He kept impressing on me all day Saturday...that the money the master gives to his servants is ALWAYS the masters money. It is His. No matter where the money comes from, no matter if I work extra to earn it, if Aaron works extra to earn it, if our church starts an adoption fund or if some generous person writes us a check...it is God's money...It is His, it is from Him because it never was that other person's in the first place. And if Aaron and I have to swallow our pride and accept help from others to fulfill this adoption, I guess I can live with that now.