“But when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, in order to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as children.” – Galatians 4:4-5
There is no greater joy than to be connected to family. There is no greater pain than to be separated from a family connection. Nate was a young boy who experienced both pain and joy from an early age, Nate’s family had many struggles. As time went by, Nate found himself less and less connected to his family. Sadly, at the age of 13, Nate was removed from his parents by social service. He was placed in the foster care system. At an early age, Nate found himself without a family, homeless, and with little to no hope for being reunited with his family.
Nate had one thing that he loved to do… play soccer. Nate started playing soccer when he was five years old. He had been playing on the same team for eight years. While playing the game he loved, Nate met Zachary. They became the best of friends. The two boys loved playing soccer and spending free time together. Zachary’s parents loved to have Nate stay at their house on the weekends. As the years went on, Zachary’s parents, Seth and Rita, noticed the problems with Nate’s family. They did their best to help make sure Nate could always play soccer and spend time with Zachary. When they learned that Nate had been removed from his home, they reached out to help make sure Nate stayed connected with his team.
One day, Seth and Rita received a phone call. It was the social worker who wanted to know if they would be interested in becoming Nate’s foster home. Seth and Rita talked with their family and Zachary said, “If Nate needs help, we are going to help.” Nate lived with Zachary and his family for about a year and half. During that time, they worked to reconnect him with his biological family, but it was not successful. Nate asked Seth and Rita if he could be part of their family, permanently.
There was great joy that day as they began the legal work to make Nate a permanent member of their family. It took lots of effort, but soon Nate and Zachary would be more than friends; they would be brothers. When the family gathered in court, they were joined by over 50 others, all families from their soccer team, who gathered to celebrate this new family.
We were created to belong, to be connected to family. This is why the scripture calls our relationship with God and one another an adopted family. When we speak of St. Luke’s, we call our church a “family of faith.” The beautiful family that was made when two young boys went from friends to brothers is what the kingdom of God looks like. In God, we have a home and family, because we have been adopted into a family of faith.
– Rev. Keith King, Pastor of Worship
