Adopted
Scripture Reading — Colossians 2:6-15
[You have] been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through your faith in the working of God.
Dhini was a three-year-old with milk-chocolate skin, jet-black hair, and brown eyes like saucers. Her new dad and mom brought her from India to their North American home.
Pastor Craig Barnes remembers her arrival: She spoke only a few words of English. A large mole on her shoulder had to be removed before it would become cancerous. A series of complicated surgeries and skin grafts would take years to complete. Further, she had spent most of her life in an orphanage, often left alone. So her motor skills were underdeveloped.
But now she also had two parents madly in love with her, and a church family that had prayed for her a year before they knew her name. Most of all, she had the amazing devotion of God.
Barnes got through most of the baptismal liturgy. But when he came to the part about her being adopted into God’s family and looked up to see Dhini in her father’s arms, and her arms around her daddy, Barnes started crying. No one offered to take over, so the whole congregation worshiped in a teary silent prayer. Eventually, Dhini’s new father poured the water of the covenant over his daughter’s head. The entire congregation was a happy, tearful mess.
We all have issues. But none are so big that God’s holy love can’t cover them.
Father, thank you for adopting us as your children, through the work of your Son, our Brother, the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
About the author — Kevin Adams
Dr. Kevin Adams has served as a church planter/pastor in the Sacramento, California, area since 1991. He and his wife, Gerry, began Granite Springs Church in Lincoln, and this congregation has helped to nourish several other church plants. Kevin also serves as a director of the Sierra Leadership Network, a training program for new church leaders.
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