The Advent Calendar - Pt. 15

 

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 ESV).

 

The picture accompanying this devotional was taken just a few weeks after we “adopted” Teddy. He is a terrier mix, even though he looks very much like a Norfolk Terrier, he is not “pure bred.” The story that goes with his adoption is unforgettable. Mary had been looking for a dog long before I was really ready. We went about a year between Teddy and our previous pet, Cruz. That day, a Saturday, I was working in the shop, sawdust everywhere, when Mary returned from her foray into town. She got out of the car and said, “I found our new dog. Let’s go before someone else gets him.” I dutifully got in the car, sawdust and all. We went to the local pet store where a shelter was set up for their Saturday adoptions. We were met by one of the volunteers who recognized Mary and said, “I hid Teddy for a little while knowing you’d be back.” Well, as is often said, the rest is history. We signed all the papers for the transfer and he came home with us. As you can see, he feels very much at home in our bed. He acts like he has always been a part of our family.

 

Christmas marks the “fullness of time” when God, in his sovereign freedom, “sent forth his Son.” Here we have the wonder of the Incarnation: God of very God assuming a human nature. The reason God did this wonder was to secure our redemption. Our reading says, it was “to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons” (v. 5). Christ came into the world not only to free us from the tyranny of sin, death and the devil, but also to crown us with unimaginable glory. He adopted us as His children!

We have been adopted into God’s family and given all the rights and privileges of legitimate heirs. Paul captures this beautifully: “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich” (2 Corinthians 2:8-9). And the riches that are ours in Christ are far greater than anything merely monetary. These riches are in fact “all things” for “all are yours, and you are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s” (1 Corinthians 3:23). This is the audacity of Christmas and it is intended to redound “to the praise of [God’s] glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved” (Ephesians 1:6). That’s cause for great celebration!