We Are Family Under God

1 John 3:1 How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2 Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.

Back in the late 1970’s, when disco wasn’t dead, the musical group Sister Sledge recorded one of the most popular music hits of all time. Do you remember the title? I could sing it for you, but I was advised not to. It was called “We Are Family.” The song was one of those “feel good” selections that skyrocketed to the top of the charts. It was so popular that the Pittsburgh Pirates adopted it as their theme song as they captured the1979 World Series championship. In theory, the song “We Are Family” seemed to bring their team, fans, and supporters closer together. And whoever joined in the “We Are Family” chorus, imagined themselves as part of one big, happy family.

But, what happens when the music stops? Are we still family? Are we still in this together? The apostle John assures us in our sermon text that we are indeed God’s children. John wrote his letters of 1, 2, and 3 John to Christians in Asia around A.D. 90. He wrote to strengthen them against the attacks of false teachers and persecution from those “who did not know Christ.” The best defense against unchristian teachers and persecutors was to seek strength and comfort in the love of the heavenly Father.

Today we also have many attacks against our Christian faith. Greed and materialism run rampant in America. False teachers and their lies surround us. The permissive attitude of society is all around us. Filth invades our homes through TVs, movies, magazines, and the Internet. Time is short. Lives are busy. Stress and worry and high blood pressure are a common part of our day. We would be lost and without hope in this world, if it were not for one thing – the love of God. In very simple and straightforward language, John speaks to the hearts of God’s dear children. In the midst of stress, pain, lies, and filth, is our loving God. John shows us this morning that we enjoy a special close-knit relationship with God and with each other. For we are family under God.

But even God’s family has problems and struggles. Whenever your kids become out of control, you can take comfort from the thought that even God’s omnipotence did not extend to God’s kids. You can almost imagine this conversation between God and His first children. After creating heaven and earth, God created Adam and Eve. Then the first thing God said was “Don’t.”

“Don’t what?” Adam replied.

“Don’t eat the forbidden fruit,” God said.

“Forbidden fruit? We got forbidden fruit? Hey, Eve … we got forbidden fruit?”

“No way!”

“Yes, way!”

“Don’t eat that fruit!” God said.

“Why?”

“Because I’m your Father and I said so!” God said, wondering why He hadn’t stopped after making the elephants.

A few minutes later God saw His kids having a fruit snack and was angry. “Didn’t I tell you not to eat that fruit?” God asked.

“Uh huh,” Adam replied.

“Then why did you?”

“I dunno,” Eve replied.

“She started it!” Adam said.

“Did not!”

Did too!”

Did not!”

Having had it with the two of them, God’s punishment was that Adam and Eve should have children of their own.

Thus the pattern was set and it has never changed. But there is reassurance in this story for we who are parents: If you have persistently and lovingly tried to give wisdom to your children and they haven’t taken it, don’t be too hard on yourself. God had trouble with His children. What makes you think it should be a piece of cake for you?

Someone gave me this advice once: “If you have a lot of tension and you get a headache, do what it says on the aspirin bottle: Take two and keep away from the children.”

Now God could have done that. He could have banished Adam and Eve from the Garden and forgotten about them. He could have gotten rid of His children and just started over. He could have sent all of us who are His wayward children straight to hell and not bothered with us any longer. But He didn’t. God the Father has lavished His love on us!

But the thing is, we are not only God’s wayward children, His prodigal sons and daughters, we are also His enemies. Throughout the ages, we, who were created to be God’s children, destroyed His perfect creation, stoned His prophets, cheated on Him with other gods, broken His rules, ignored His apostles, trampled on His holy Word and laughed in His face. We even had the ruthlessness to murder His Son. We murdered our Brother. We killed our Savior with our sins. Our lies cut into Jesus’ skin. Our hate pushed the thorny crown onto His head. Our anger spit in His face. Our disobedience drove the nails into His hands and feet. Our miserable, worthless, sinful lives caused Jesus to suffer the agonies of hell. We are God’s enemies.

Have you ever considered how unusual the love of God for us sinners is? John assures us, “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!” In the original Greek the expression translated “how great” suggests the thought of being foreign. God’s love for us sinners is so unusual that we might say it is foreign to our way of thinking and acting. We would never have thought of, much less carried out, the idea of allowing the person who murdered our child to come into our household and become part of the family. But that is exactly what God has done for us. We killed His Child with our sins. We were God’s enemies. Yet, in His great love for us, God still called us His children. He still considers us members of His family. He still invites us to enjoy the banquet feast of heaven.

John invites us to marvel with him at the greatness of God the Father’s love. The Father “lavishes” us with His love. During this time of economic uncertainty, most people are backing away from things luxurious, pricey and unnecessary. Lavishness is out. Inexpensive is in.

Except when it comes to the Christian.

“Lavish” is not a word that we automatically connect to Christianity. And yet this is precisely the word we find to describe what God has done for us in Christ Jesus.

Many of us are not living what you would call a lavish lifestyle. In this economy, many of us are clipping more coupons, eating out less, holding off on big purchases and making what we have last longer. And that’s not a bad thing to economize, to scale back and simplify. But understand that God pours out His love on us. It is an extravagant, excessive, generous love.

God’s love for us is an “agape” love. It is one-sided and unconditional. It is a sacrificial, no-holds-barred type of love that will go any distance, pay any price, to reclaim our lost race for God. The Father’s love is so amazing because it is so undeserved. The forgiveness Jesus won for us on the cross made us part of God’s family. We killed His Son, yet God lavishes us with love. God’s great love turned us from His enemies into His blood-bought children.

Today is a great date to focus on the love our God has lavished on us. Many see this as a day for ghosts and goblins, black cats and carved pumpkins, candy and “trick-or-treat.” But it also has another meaning. Today is a day with great religious significance. For today is Reformation Day!

On this day, 493 years ago, a Catholic monk named Martin Luther nailed 95 statements to a church door in Wittenberg, Germany. It was his way of protesting. Instead of walking around with a picket sign, Luther started a religious reformation with the blows of a hammer.

The church of Luther’s day was letting people think it sold tickets to heaven. Purchase this piece of paper, worship this saint or visit this relic to take years off of purgatory. It was bartering forgiveness. Imagine it! Call some 1-800 number, place your order for forgiveness and charge it to your MasterCard. The Church really needed reforming.

God used Martin Luther to proclaim that heaven was not a commodity to be bought. Quite the contrary. God was giving it away.

The people of Luther’s day were scared of God. They were taught that He was a threatening God who was waiting to pounce on mankind’s every mistake. They saw Jesus as Judge, not as Savior. But the Holy Spirit led Luther to rediscover that the Bible speaks of a different God – a God of justice and love, a God of judgment, but also mercy. A God who punishes sin, by punishing His Son. God used Luther to teach the people that God is love! Luther saw that God not only demanded perfection for our salvation, but He fulfilled that perfection so that we are now crucified with Christ and have risen with Christ.

This is a God who has washed you clean of every failure through His Son’s blood. He’s adopted you into His holy family through Baptism. He’s fed and nourished you with bread and wine, body and blood. He’s waited for you to approach Him with your head down, begging for mercy. He greeted you with wide open arms, putting the family ring on your finger, placing the robe of His Son’s righteousness over your shoulders and throwing a feast in your honor.

October 31 is much more than Halloween. Celebrate today with costumes and candy if you want. But the history of this date offers much greater comfort. For now we know that every day we may wear our Savior’s robe of holiness and taste the sweetness of sins forgiven.

A teacher asked her students what was most amazing about God. One child responded, “He knows all about me, and yet He still loves me.” Indeed, God’s great love that He has lavished on us is truly amazing. But what a wonderful way to begin each day! What a wonderful way to close each day! We are God’s own. He made us His own and He keeps us as His own. We are no longer enemies, but God’s children. We are brothers and sisters in Christ. How amazing is that? We are family under God. Amen.

Our God has gathered us together as a family. May the Lord bless you as you do His holy will. Amen.