His Adopted Children

Eternal Father, at the baptism of Jesus you revealed him to be your Son, and your Holy Spirit descended upon him like a dove: Grant that we, who are born again by water and the Spirit, may be faithful as your adopted children; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

As I thought about this week’s collect, a few Scripture passages came to mind. The first Scriptures I thought about correspond to the Lord’s baptism (Matthew 3:13–17; Mark 1:9–11 & Luke 3:21–23). Each of these gospels keeps a record of Jesus’ baptism, especially the truth that Jesus is God’s only begotten Son who brings peace and love, and acceptance from God to us.

Then, I thought about Ephesians 1:3–14 where Paul highlights God’s redemptive work. In them, we learn that God the Father chose and adopted from the foundations of the world; He redeemed and forgave us through the blood of Christ, and He guaranteed our salvation by sealing us with the Holy Spirit. All of these are by grace through faith in Jesus Christ.

Let us pray for strength to live as faithful children with such great promises. As with the Apostle Paul, I’m convinced that God will answer that prayer because “nothing… absolutely nothing can get between us and God’s love because of the way that Jesus has embraced us.” (Romans 8:39, MSG)

Now, that is good news!