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Waiting Eagerly
by Rev. David Renfro
(Note:
Suggested answers are in italics.)
Annie. Oliver Twist.
Romanian orphans.
We’ve all seen
them-visions of homeless and apparently unloved waifs looking with eager
anticipation as prospective parents walk through the halls of the orphanage in
search of just the right child. The silent plea, “Pick me!” is deafening.
An autobiographical
obituary recounted the life of a 93-year-old woman who had been placed in a
foundling home in the eastern United States shortly after her birth. She
recalled as a young child being shipped on an “orphan train” to the Mid-West. At
each stop along the way, children would be taken off and sent home with new
families. As the trip progressed and more children departed, she wondered
eagerly-even anxiously-if and when she would be chosen and adopted.
Adoption is a word that
bears many connotations-certainly for the birth parents, adoptive child, and
adoptive parents. What about you? What comes to mind when you hear the word
adoption? (Answers
will vary.)
Unfortunately, adoption
carries some negative baggage in our society today. With the legalization of
abortion on demand and the decreasing social stigma of out-of-wedlock births,
many women and girls are led to believe that adoption is not a desirable choice.
It is not uncommon to hear the following:
“Adoption? I could never
give up my child to someone else to raise!”
“If I can’t have my child,
no one else is going to have it either.”
“If I chose adoption, I
would always wonder where my child was and if he were okay. I couldn’t live with
that.”
“How could you do
that?! How could you give away your child?”
How would you respond to
the above?
(Answers will vary. Some suggested responses might be:
#1-Consider
that placing your child in a loving home where he will be loved, cared for, and
provided for may be the ultimate act of unselfish, loving parenting in certain
circumstances.
#2-This
response reveals a selfish and immature attitude in which the child is viewed as
a possession rather than a gift from God.
#3-Point
out that aborting the child isn’t the solution to the problem. #1, #2, & #3
spring from selfishness and reduce the unborn child to a disposable commodity.
We need to counter the idea that adoption is less desirable than abortion. We
also need to correct the misguided notion that some people have of “returning”
their unborn children to God through abortion.
#4-Similar
to #1, except that the woman in crisis is receiving outside pressure to abort or
parent. Women facing this decision need to be supported in choosing adoption as
a positive and loving plan for the welfare of their child.)
Thankfully, God set the
tone for the whole concept of adoption.
What do the following
passages reveal about human nature and our need for adoption?
Psalm
51:5
(All
humankind is conceived and born in sin-Original Sin. This is a good opportunity
to underscore that life begins at the moment of conception.)
Romans
5:10
(Our
sinfulness makes us God’s enemies by nature-we are not His children by birth.)
Ephesians 2:11-12
(Our
sin separated us from God. Not only are we not His natural-born children, but we
are foreigners without hope [apart from Christ].)
1 Peter
2:10
(There
was a time when we were not God’s people.)
What has God done about
our need to be adopted?
John
15:16
(HE
chose US.)
Romans
5:8
(God
put His love into action by sending His Son to die for us even when we were
steeped in sin.)
Ephesians 1:4-5
(God
chose us from eternity and predestined us to be His adopted children through
Christ. We are His true heirs, His beloved blood-bought children. This was all
part of His eternal will and plan.)
1 Peter
2:9-10
(In
Christ we are chosen; we are the people of God; we belong to His family; we have
received mercy.)
Read Romans 8:18-25.
Note especially v. 23.
What is this adoption we are eagerly waiting for?
(We
are waiting for our adoption as sons, or as children of God, and ultimately, the
redemption of our bodies-the fulfillment of our own resurrection and eternal
life in heaven. Note that adoption was common among the Greeks and Romans, who
granted the adopted son all the privileges of a natural son, including
inheritance rights.)
Read John 1:12-13.
How does our adoption
happen?
(It
comes about by the eternal will of God to all who receive Him by faith.
Emphasize NOT by natural descent nor of human decision-no “decision theology”
here! God alone is the Creator and Redeemer of all human life.)
Read Romans 8:14-17.
What are the eternal
implications of our adoption?
(We
too receive the full rights as sons and are heirs of God.)
How can understanding that
all Christians are God’s “adopted” children help us influence society’s views
toward adoption?
(Knowing that we are all adopted children helps us realize we all are equal
before God and will make us more aware of the need to reach out to others and
help them in their spiritual plight. It may also help lessen the stigma of
earthly adoption.)
Waiting Eagerly
Not only do children
eagerly wait to be adopted, but birth parents and adoptive parents wait in
anticipation as well. Let’s take a look at how Hannah kept the faith as she
waited for God’s plan for her life to unfold.
Read 1 Samuel 1:1-20.
What was the prayer of
Hannah’s heart? (To
have a child.) What did she do while she
waited eagerly? (Wept
and prayed.) Why did Eli think Hannah was
intoxicated? (Hannah
was praying in her heart and her lips were moving, but no sound was coming out
of her mouth.) What was Hannah’s
response? (v. 15) (In
her bitter grief she revealed that she was deeply troubled.) What significant change happened in v. 18?
(She got up and ate,
and her face was no longer downcast. What is significant is that her spirit was
lifted even before she saw the results!)
Why? (She trusted in
God’s Word of promise.) Find evidence of
God’s grace in v. 19. (The Lord remembered her.) Read vv. 27-28. What was Hannah’s
ultimate faith response? (To dedicate her son to the
Lord forever.)
Adoption: The Loving Option
Many people assume there
are “warehouses” full of children just waiting to be adopted. Some seem to think
that adopting one of these children is as easy as placing an order. Not so. A
pro-life Christian obstetrician reports that he has a stack of letters several
feet high sitting on the floor of his office from prospective adoptive parents
pleading for a child. He notes that he rarely even touches the stack of letters
because girls often choose to abort or parent the child themselves, even if they
are ill-equipped to do so. He wisely and lovingly counsels women and girls in
crisis as he shares with them a biblical dilemma.
Read 1 Kings 3:16-28.
Which woman was the true
mother of the child? (The woman who was willing to give up her child in order to save him.) How did King Solomon know this?
(Only a mother’s love could
make such a sacrifice.) Why was she
ultimately willing to give up her child? (God gave her the strength
to do so in order to preserve her child’s life.)
How might this story
influence the decision of placing one’s child for adoption? (If one is unable to provide
for the child, a loving choice is giving life to the child and providing for its
needs through adoption.) Where did
Solomon’s wisdom and discernment come from? (v. 28) (From God.) How can we avail ourselves of the same?
(God gives us the wisdom and
discernment to make difficult choices in our lives, too.)
Can you name other
biblical characters who faced “crisis” situations? (Answers will vary. Some
suggestions are: the birth of Moses; Joseph and his brothers; Mary, Joseph and
Jesus.) How did God use the “grafting” of
one person into another family to achieve His purposes? (The Lord used trying
circumstances and even evil intentions to work out His plan for the good of His
people. This included “grafting” these people into families other than their
families of origin in order that God’s purposes could be achieved.)
Welcome A Little Child
A symbol of adoption is a
heart intertwined with an equilateral triangle-the child, the birth parents, the
adoptive parents. It takes a special bond of love both to place a child for
adoption and to welcome it into one’s heart and home forever. What additional
meaning does the equilateral triangle hold for Christians? (Trusting in the Triune God
as they wait eagerly for God’s plan to unfold for their lives.)
Read Mark 9:33-37
to see how Jesus welcomed little children.
What does this reveal
about Jesus’ attitude toward children? (They are of infinite value
to Him. They are treasures, not burdens.) How can the Church welcome little children?
(Celebrating births
and baptisms; concerted efforts at children’s ministries; providing a safe,
nurturing place for them; integrating them fully into the life of the Church) How can the Church support birth parents
facing an unintended pregnancy and its impending decisions? (Providing a place of
refuge; volunteering at local Caring Pregnancy Centers; supporting adoption;
providing spiritual care; mentoring; not being judgmental) How can the Church minister to adoptive parents?
(Being sensitive to
the pain of infertility; celebrating the arrival of the new child into the
family; welcoming the adopted child into the Church family)
Close by singing hymn
printed below.
What
Love the Father Lavished
by Margaret Mesmer
What love the Father
lavished On us to be His own
Beloved sons and
daughters, Heirs of His heavenly home.
Predestined by the
Father, Adopted by His will,
Redeemed by Christ the
Savior, His purpose to fulfill.
We all were undeserving,
In Adam's sin conceived.
But by our faith in
Jesus A new life we received.
For we were lost and
homeless And helpless in our sin
Till God Himself through
Jesus Reached down and took us in.
What love the Father
lavished On us to be His own;
Not by our works or
merit But by His grace alone.
What joy we shall
inherit As His, for we shall be
Like Him in resurrection
And His own glory see.
Texts: 1 John 3:1-2,
Ephesians 1:5
Tune: Missionary Hymn (LW
#322)
Used by permission.
This Bible study is available in
reproducible form as part of Life Studies - Volume One.
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