Readings: 1 John 2:29-3:6; Psalm 98; John 1:29-34
Today, we are simply going to do what St. John asks us to do in the First Reading. He says “Think of the love that the Father has lavished on us, by letting us be called God’s children; and that is what we are…”
Let us think about this today. We are God’s children; we have been adopted into God’s family. How is that possible?
In today’s Gospel, John the Baptist points to the One who made it possible. He is the Lamb of God, whose blood brought about the remission of our sins, our adoption and our full redemption.
We may ask ourselves these questions:
Do we understand our identity and its implications?
Do we live as children of God?
To be called children of God means we are now part of the family of the angels and saints. It means we belong fully to God and He will look after us. We are His (Isaiah 43:1).
Let us keep this in mind as we enter into this new year. God says we are His children and so He will look after us. Because we are His children, He will not stop loving us. Because we are His children by adoption, we are coheirs to an inheritance with Christ (Romans 8:17), which means we shall also share in God’s glory and the riches of His kingdom. If we understand this, it is enough to keep us perpetually happy and it gives us something to hope for beyond this life.
The final question is “Do we live as God’s children?”
Jesus has come to reveal the character of the Father to us (John 1:18). Through Jesus, we learn God’s unchangeable goodness, His indiscriminate love, His unprecedented faithfulness and His inexhaustible compassion.
Do we behave like the Father?
To whose paternity do my actions point?
Today is also the optional memorial of the Most Holy Name of Jesus; let us ask ourselves:
Do we realise the power in this name?
Do we revere this name?
Do we bring honour to this name by which we are called?
Holy Spirit, open the eyes of my mind to understand the privilege, authority, dignity and glory of being a Child of God. Take away from me anything in my character that may not point to God as my Father or may bring dishonour to the Most Holy Name of Jesus.
Sermon preached by Fr Emmanuel Baraka-Gukena Okami on January 3, 2025