“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 4:4-7)
As we look forward to a New Year, we hope and pray that it will be better than last year, or the two that preceded it. Those years were marked by suffering, sickness, violence and chaos due in large part to the pandemic. In these past years millions have all cried out to God for relief, for peace, for ourselves, our loved ones, and for the nation. Many wondered why the Lord did not step in and answer us in the way we desired. Many lost hope and still others preferred to put their faith in scientific experts and politicians.
The faithful, however, put their trust in God. We knew that He would carry us through this chaos. This is because, despite what is occurring around us, we know that God loves us and is using the pandemic and the accompanying cultural unrest to draw us closer to Him as well as to call unbelievers to repentance and faith. After all, God has been faithful to His people over centuries of years. He promised to be with His people. He promised to redeem them. And He did! That is what we celebrate at Christmas time. The Messiah has come and has saved us from sin and its penalty.
So with Paul we cry those great and comforting words: “Abba! Father!” These words affirm our faith as they help us to grasp the loving relationship the Lord has with us. They remind us that the Lord is carrying us in His loving arms through the pandemic. He will protect and comfort us and lead us into His Heavenly Kingdom.
Although our modern media driven culture teaches us that everybody is a child of God, a member of His family, the Word of God tells us something different: only those who have faith, are members of God’s family. God imparts His Holy Spirit into the heart of every believer, so only they are members of God’s family. Only those who have the Holy Spirit of God can call Him Father. Only they are members of His family, the Church. This is the Good News we must share with our friends, neighbors, and loved ones in 2023.