Adoption & the Advent: Devotional Reflections and Prayers for the Orphan

The advent season is a beautiful time to reflect on God's adoptive love for a broken world. Join me in preparing for Christmas by meditating daily on the coming of Christ and praying for the fatherless. 

December 5th: God With Us

Matthew 1: 22-23 "All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).

"God with us." Is there a more powerful phrase? If three words could describe all that Jesus is, "God with us" would be the choice description. How do you explain to your child that God, creator of heaven and earth, came to earth as an infant? I remember being a child, trying to wrap my mind around God being a baby. Did he scream and cry when he was hungry? He never threw temper tantrums? At what point was his consciousness aware that he was fully God? Questions like these would fill my brain during the Christmas season and as my children grow older they are now beginning to ask similar inquisitive questions as they try to make sense of it all. 

It is hard to understand precisely because "God with us" is a miraculous mystery. The beautiful, complex holy Trinity was whispered in the ears and hearts of humanity the night that Christ was born: God has came to dwell with us! Christ's birth meant that the Trinity would move toward the dead, the decay, the curse and enter into our sin and suffering. The moment Christ came to dwell with us God's perfect union that he shared among the Father, Spirit, and Son were affected. Before time began, for all eternity: the Father, Spirit, and Son shared an abundant love with one another that overflowed with joy, peace,and light. 

That perfect fellowship changed when God the Son became human flesh. It was an action that would affect the person of Christ for all eternity future. Forever, Christ the Son would be fully human.  It was not just the death of Christ the Son that costed God the Father, but the birth of Christ came at great cost as well. God came to dwell with us because his love was so great that he chose to lavish that love upon us, even though it cost him greatly.

Prayer for the Orphan:

Pray today for the 130+ million orphans around the world today. Pray for local churches, worldwide to care for the orphans in their city. Pray especially for churches in impoverished nations, that they would be blessed for their efforts to care for those most vulnerable even though they themselves are struggling as well. Pray for the Lord to continue to strengthen and grow the orphan care movement in other parts of the world. 

Adoption & the Advent: Devotional Reflections and Prayers for the Orphan

The advent season is a beautiful time to reflect on God's adoptive love for a broken world. Join me in preparing for Christmas by meditating daily on the coming of Christ and praying for the fatherless. 

An Earthly Father for a Heavenly Son

*Read Matthew 1: 1-17

Matthew 1:18-23
"This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins."

From the beginning of time, God planned to dwell among us. He would come to earth as the most vulnerable of humans and live a life that culminated in his death and resurrection. As Matthew begins to write his account of the Gospel story, he starts chapter one with the lineage of Christ. It is easy to glaze over these Old Testament names in Matthew 1 as though Christ's family tree were unimportant; however, as we read the genealogical account of Christ we realize that from the beginning of human history God had a plan and ordained for specific people to be a part of that plan.

If you have a general understanding of the Old Testament, then a light reading of Matthew 1 will include familiar names. But where do all these names lead as we read the opening of Matthew? They lead to a young man named Joseph. 

Considering the religious cultural climate of the day the miracle is not only that Mary conceived a child while a virgin, but that her betrothed did not stone her when he found out she was pregnant. Israelites more religious then Joseph were known for stoning their betrothed for being unfaithful, but Joseph had in mind to divorce her quietly. He was a man who knew and loved the law, but also had the integrity not to expose her to public disgrace.

God had included an earthly father in his plans to unfold the story of our Savior. This earthly father would not share Christ's bloodline, but would chose to become the father of Christ because an angel of the Lord appeared to him. The angel that appeared to Joseph gave him the responsibility that all fathers have for their children, to name him. And with that responsibility bestowed on Joseph, the heavenly son Jesus the Christ was given an earthly father: Joseph the carpenter. 

Consider the fact that God cared to provide an earthly father for the perfect Christ. Consider that our God who wrote a redemptive human history decided to include a physical family for Christ to be raised in. Christmas is not just about the family that we celebrate together during this holiday season, but is meant to remind us of the reality that family has always been and always will be part of God's story.

Prayers for the Orphan:

Pray for the fatherless and particularly for single mothers who are attempting to raise their children without dads. Pray that the church would wrap their arms around these mothers and provide multiple spiritual fathers and that the church would be a safe place for single mothers to find Christ and authentic community. Pray for the Lord to provide earthly fathers for the fatherless. Pray that the Lord would make known that he is the ultimate Father to the fatherless to each child going to bed tonight without a dad. Pray that the Fatherless would know this truth in a deeper and richer way then anyone else. 

Adoption & The Advent: Devotional Reflections and Prayers for the Orphan

The advent season is a beautiful time to reflect on God's adoptive love for a broken world. Join me in preparing for Christmas by meditating daily on the coming of Christ and praying for the fatherless. 

Anticipation

Romans 13:11-14
"And do this, understanding the present time: The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh"

Anticipation. If I could use one word to describe "Christmas" for children, anticipation would be the word. On December 26th each year, my children start counting down the days until the next Christmas. As soon as the Halloween decorations roll out, Christmas is all that consumes my children's minds and conversations. Why? Because it is the most magical time of their year: family movie nights, getting to drink hot chocolate out of snowmen mugs, decorating the house, Christmas music, caroling, special foods, and of course...presents! The anticipation of Christmas morning is just as special for my children as the Christmas day itself.

That is the picture I have in my mind when I read this passage from Romans. Scripture often paints a picture  of creation sitting at the edge of its seat, paused,waiting in anticipation. As you begin to read through the Christmas story in Mark or Luke, each verse builds in anticipation to the birth of Jesus Christ. If you pay enough attention, you can almost see the gospel writers holding their breath as they build to the climatic event of Mary giving birth to Christ and laying him in a manger.

And with the birth of Christ, the hour comes for us to wake from our slumber. Those who slumber have no anticipation of the coming salvation. The miracle of Christmas means that God has come to dwell with us. Our salvation is here. The light of dawn is now breaking through darkest of night. It is time to wake up!

What I love about this passage in Romans is that even though our salvation is secured in our faith in Jesus Christ, Paul writes of our eternal reality. He wants the Christian reader  to remember what they are being saved to: an eternal, perfect fellowship with the Lord God. In the birth of Christ, God joined an earthly family so that we could be brought into his eternal family.

The first Christmas morning was meant to awaken those who sleep to the anticipation of our salvation. A salvation that grows nearer each day. We are called to live our life in a way that reflects that anticipation. We are not to go about our business like the rest of the world, as though our salvation is far off. We are to be waiting, ready, busy doing the Lord's work, holding our breath with the rest of creation as we eagerly wait for this salvation. 

Prayers for the Orphan:

Take some time today to repent for the ways you gratify the desires of your flesh. Ask the Lord to search your heart and show you the ways in which you live with no anticipation of your salvation in Christ. Ask the Lord to also convict the hearts of those in your church family and to continue to call your community to clothe themselves with the Lord Jesus Christ. Pray that this would influence how you and your community care for the orphan. Pray that the Lord would give you an urgency to act for those who are stuck in darkness and that you would live in a way that represents the light of our salvation breaking into the world's darkness. Pray for the Lord to call believers world-wide to take action in caring for the fatherless.

Adoption & The Advent: Devotional Reflections and Prayers for the Orphan

The advent season is a beautiful time to reflect on God's adoptive love for a broken world. Join me in preparing for Christmas by meditating daily on the coming of Christ and praying for the fatherless. 

A People Prepared

Scripture Reading: Luke: 1: 1-24

    In the first few pages of the Bible, we see humanity turn their back on God and the stench of death permeate throughout creation. Everyone and everything is affected: animals shed blood, brother murders brother, children lie, and women are barren. In the first few stories of Genesis, we see barrenness again and again. In ancient history, a woman that was unable to have children meant a curse greater then death. The slow, painful curse of death was eating away at the possibility of producing new life. 

    Now fast forward 2000 years to the first chapter of Luke and we find a man named Zechariah married to Elizabeth, a husband and wife who were old in age and righteous in the sight of God. Elizabeth was barren. She never had a child grow within her womb, she never had the joy of nursing, and had no hope of children caring for her in her old age. But despite the disappointment, Elizabeth was faithful to her God. 

     And then Gabriel, the Lord’s angel, visits Zechariah. It is hard to wrap our mind around an experience like this. But Gabriel tells Zechariah good, wonderful news: Elizabeth would have a child named John. Can you imagine? All these years of childlessness, all these years of a barren, dead womb and now, in their old age, the Lord would breath life into Zechariah’s wife. 

     This child would be a joy and delight for Zechariah and Elizabeth, but this was not a blessing just for them. This was a blessing for the people of Israel. John would preach a powerful message and would have a unique purpose in the unfolding of God’s story to save humanity: he would "make ready a people prepared for the Lord." 

     Israel had long wandered from the loving protection that God had offered them in his covenant love. God’s rebellious children, the Israelites, had broken themselves off from their loving father who had been faithful and gracious to their idolatrous hearts. But God’s fatherly love continued to pursue his children and the child growing in Elizabeth’s womb would be filled with the Spirit and preach a message that would turn the hearts of parents to their children and the disobedient to wisdom… this child, John, would prepare the people for the Lord, Jesus Christ. 

    The healing of Elizabeth’s womb was evidence that sin’s destructive power was being undone. The curse was losing its power. The old was being made new. The sick would be healed. The dead would rise again. 

Prayer for the Orphan: 
    
   Families all around your city are broken and devastated by sin. Take some time today to pray for the children in foster care. The God who is powerful enough to bring life from an old, barren womb is powerful enough to restore dysfunctional families. Pray for foster children who will not be with their parents for the holiday season. Pray for sibling groups who have been split up into different foster homes. Pray that the Lord would breath new life into their parents and biological families and heal what is broken. Pray for restoration and renewal of families and pray that the church would be the hands and feet of Jesus to these hurting children and families.

Adoption & The Advent: Devotional Reflections and Prayers for the Orphan

The advent season is a beautiful time to reflect on God's adoptive love for a broken world. Join me in preparing for Christmas by meditating daily on the coming of Christ and praying for the fatherless. 

 A Naked and Vulnerable God

“And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.”  Luke 2:4-7

   How many times do we read these words during the Christmas season? These few verses are the inspiration for the nativity sets around our homes and churches. It is the inspiration for the Christmas pageants that children are currently practicing for. But even with reminders all around me during this season, I do not reflect enough on the reality that Mary gave birth to her firstborn son, Jesus, and laid him in a manger.

    It is easier for me to picture Jesus, fully God and fully human, as the Christ who died on the cross. I picture Christ the God-man as the one who turned over the tables in the temple and drove out the moneychangers, or as the great teacher who gathered crowds by the thousands, or as the healer of sick. I picture Christ the God-man as the one who was powerful enough to stop the crucifixion, yet willingly chose to submit himself to God the Father and bear the weight of his wrath for our sins.

But then there are these precious verses in Luke chapter two that describe Jesus, fully God and fully human, as a newborn child. Helpless. Weak. Completely dependent on his mother and father for warmth, food, touch, shelter, and soothing.

    It feels God-like to think about Christ’s ministry on this earth. But Christ as an infant? Christ nursing, crying, needing to be swaddled, it just feels so…human.  As much as I like to talk about Christ being fully God and fully man, I probably spend much more time thinking about Christ being fully God. It is when I reflect on God the Son being laid in a manger, fully dependent on human, sinful parents that I realize how uncomfortable I can feel with Christ’s humanity.

    But this is a season to think and praise God for his willingness to become human. 

One moment, Christ was sharing perfect, eternal, complete union with God the Father and the next he was growing within the womb of Mary. It is miraculous, mind-boggling, truly foolishness if we think about it through the world’s wisdom. But this wonderful miracle is exactly what allows us to now relate to Christ as brother.

   Christ had an earthly father that cared for him, held him, and loved him. When Christ talks about his heavenly Father, he is speaking fully understanding and knowing what it was like to have an earthly father. When Christ calls believers “brothers and sisters” he is speaking from a full understanding of what it was like to have an earthly family. In order for us to have been adopted by God spiritually, God had to become fully human...and so two thousand years ago, God was born, naked, weak, needy, crying and completely vulnerable. And then, Thirty-three years later, he died a bloody, shameful death in the same condition.

   And the glorious reality that we have such a gracious God as this, who would come to earth, naked and vulnerable in human flesh, should make us sing:

   “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” Luke 2:14

Prayer for the Orphan:

    As we reflect on the mystery of God becoming man, we become aware that we worship a God who deeply sympathizes with our weakness and pain. No one knows the suffering that this world faces more then the Lord. No one is more aware of sin’s cost for humanity. Pray today to have God’s heart for the orphan.  Pray that God would keep your families’ heart and mind focused on the birth of Christ during this Christmas season and that Christ’s love would be made known to the fatherless. 

Vanessa's Story: Part Six

If you are new to joining this series, please start with my first post and hear about our foster care journey with Baby Vanessa.

Roosevelt church praying for Vanessa Jr & Sr at their baby shower

Vanessa Sr. arrived to Phoenix the first week of June and within two weeks CPS had approved for baby Vanessa to move in with Grandma. May and June was a whirlwind for our family. We were so blessed by how much Roosevelt Community Church supported or efforts to wrap our arms around Grandma and Baby Vanessa.  A large group of men from Roosevelt church met the moving van at Vanessa's new home and helped unload her belongings.  The ladies of Roosevelt threw Vanessa a baby shower and we had such a sweet and special time of prayer for this new family. And I had a blast decorating Vanessa's new nursery and helping Grandma get ready for this precious one to join her family.

Finally, the day came for Vanessa to go to her forever home. It was hard emotionally. As I said in my previous post, it is really hard to explain the emotional impact of losing foster children. My desire and hope from day one was that Vanessa would be able to have reunification with her family and I was fully aware that she did not "belong" to me. But at the same time, for almost 7 months I was Vanessa's mama... She was fully dependent on me for love, support, and safety. I still do not have words to fully describe the loss, except to say that it was there and it was real.

But the pain and loss that happens in foster care is only possible if you fully love that child. It is hard, but it is not a pain that you wish would go away. That would minimize the love and attachment you had for that child. It is a pain that can only be understood in light of the gospel. In light of what the Lord has done and is doing for us. Again and again I think of Paul's words in Romans 8, "For I consider, that the suffering of this present time are not worth comparing to the glory that is to be revealed to us." How true those precious words are! The pain is not worth comparing to the glory that God is bringing about both in eternity and here on earth as he works to bring broken families back together again.

In the last 6 months that Vanessa no longer lived with us, she has remained a close part of our family. Vanessa Sr. has become "grandma" to my children and a "mom" to Vermon and me and refers to us as Baby Vanessa's "Aunt" and "Uncle". She has taught me to cook some delicious Southern dishes and has made many wonderful meals for our family. She has joined our church family and been an incredible blessing. I never imagined I would be able to share Thanksgiving dinner with Vanessa's bio family or sing along side them in worship on Sunday mornings...the Lord has blessed and been so good to us!

Yesterday, Vanessa Sr. was finally able to adopt Vanessa Jr! It was a wonderful, special day and reminded me of how big our God is and how mighty he is to save.

Vanessa's Adoption!!

Vanessa's baby dedication at Roosevelt

Vanessa's Story: Part Five

If you are new to joining this series, please read the first part of Vanessa's story.

Vanessa’s Story: Part Five—Moving Grandma to Arizona

A few days after Grandma Vanessa came to visit we arranged to have a meeting with CPS so our caseworker could meet Vanessa Sr. We met for several hours with the CPS caseworker (Vanessa Sr. shared the gospel with this social worker with much greater boldness and passion then I did weeks earlier) and the caseworker explained how thankful she was for baby Vanessa to be able to live with her Grandma.

Then we started asking the practical questions…how long will it take to get Vanessa transferred from our custody in Arizona to Grandma’s custody in Texas? The caseworker’s lengthy explanation basically said it could be anywhere from a few months to six months and that there was no way to know. Vanessa Sr. was devastated. She had already missed out on the first 7 months of her baby’s life and now she was going to have to wait another six months?

Vanessa Sr. asked how long it would take for baby Vanessa to be transferred to her custody if instead of being a Texas resident, she had been an Arizona resident. The caseworker didn’t skip a beat and said, “days, maybe a week?”

The caseworker left and we sat in silence. Vanessa Sr. was upset, frustrated, and rightfully angry at the entire system and how inefficient things had already been for her up to this point. She started talking about possibly moving here and I told her we would be more then happy to do what it took in order to make that happen. I told her I did not want to pressure her in any way and that we are incredibly happy to love and care for Vanessa until the paperwork went through, but agreed it would be better for baby Vanessa to be with her forever mama sooner rather then later.

After a few minutes of discussion Vanessa Sr. made up her mind. “OK. I’m moving. Nothing matters to me except this baby. I don’t care if it kills me, this baby belongs with me.”

At this point, I began to think how I would approach this if Vermon or my mother had to make a major move. There is no way we would expect them to take care of the details on their own. Vermon and I expressed to her that we wanted her to be a part of our family, not just baby Vanessa. We cared about her and wanted to treat her like we would our own mothers. From this point on, we committed in our own hearts not to look at this situation as baby Vanessa leaving our family, but to see it as Vanessa Sr. joining our family.

We started researching renting storage units and moving vans, breaking her lease in Texas and securing a new apartment in Arizona, getting her foster care license here, etc, etc. It was an overwhelming few hours for me (I can’t imagine how it felt for her!!). Dollar signs seemed to be racking up by the minute and it seemed like a virtually impossible task. What began initially as a fun and exciting conversation that was exchanging ideas at a mile a minute had turned into a somber silence.  I realized I had to pick up my kids for school so I told her not to think or worry while I was gone and to just give me some time to think about everything.

I got in my car and began praying. The Lord strongly impressed on me that this was not something I could do on my own, but was something he wanted to be evident that HE was doing. It could not be my own strength or own reasoning abilities, but something much bigger then myself. I was filled with an incredible peace and joy and had instant confidence and faith that The Lord would bring this about in his timing.

I came home and jumped on my computer and emailed some friends from church. I asked if they would contribute some money toward Vanessa’s moving expenses. I never expected we would be able to raise everything she needed; however, I thought any amount we could contribute would be a blessing.

Within a few hours of sending the emails, here is what happened:

-Travis, a single man in our church who is a resident (therefore works constantly) emailed and said something along the lines of: “I have a 4 bedroom house that is ½ empty and no one is ever in it. I am happy to offer my house, if it’s needed. Vanessa could live here and save her rent money for at least six months or so.”  

-In order to keep Vanessa from having to rent a storage facility for her house full of furniture, we decided to rent a UHaul for her so she could move all her furniture here. We had several people from our church respond to our request for help with moving expenses and we raised half the price for the UHaul.

-My dad offered to fly us to Texas with me and drive the U-Haul back, that way Vanessa could just drive her car from Texas to Arizona without having to worry about moving all of her stuff.

Can you believe all that? The Lord worked through so many different people in such a short time, when I told Vanessa all of this she was overwhelmed with thankfulness to God our Father. She kept calling all of her friends and family explaining how she thought she would have to face the burden and strain of such a big move alone, but God had so wonderfully moved mountains to make this happen.

Vanessa and I pulled out our calendars. She decided she wanted to move out of her current place at the end of May (Grandma Vanessa had no intention of dragging her feet, she thought each day without her grandbaby was a day too long). So my dad and I booked our plane tickets for less then two weeks from when all these decisions were made. Grandma Vanessa flew back to Texas and began packing up her home. By the time she left…7 days after arriving in our home, she was calling us  “son” and “daughter” and we really did feel as though the Lord had blessed us with another mother figure in our lives.  We were blessed daily by her faith & food and amazed at all the Lord had done to answer our prayers to be equipped “for every good work to do his will.”

Before I knew it, my dad and I had landed in Dallas and were loading a moving truck. After loading the last box, we hugged Vanessa goodbye (she would be coming to Arizona a week later), jumped in the U-Haul, and began our 15 hour drive back to Phoenix. May was perhaps the most exhausting month of my life; however, it was also full of such blessing. It was a blessing to see our church family and extended family come around us and support this situation. There is nothing quite like being a part of something much larger then yourself...and that is impossible to experience as an individual, it can only happen within the context of community.

 

(my dad and I don't normally look like this...this is after many hours of no sleep :)...my dad always makes his way into being a part of our foster-care adventures)

 Up Next:  Vanessa’s Story : Part Six—Vanessa gets reunited with family (Will post later this week)