We all are Children of God

​Text: Galatians 3:26-29
Service Date: 6.22.25
Sermon:

• In Roman society, when a young person became an adult, the young person would take their youthful garment off and put on an adult toga. This seems to be a right of passage for the culture. It is a sign of leveling up and joining your peers in this new life, a life with new responsibilities and, in many cases, a new identity.   
• In our conversation today, we are discussing a similar transformation. When we are joined with Jesus in baptism, we put on his righteousness like new clothes. We take up a new identity and a new nature.
• Now, before we discuss our scripture and the meaning of our scripture, we need to discuss the role of faith in our lives. For many, their faith in God creates a community where they feel loved and belonged. Yet, for others, they are not included in that same community. For so many, they are only granted access to the sacred community when they fit into a very narrow doorway.  For many, they are never allowed access.
•  To better understand the purpose of today’s scripture, we are going to briefly discuss the original promise of God. The original promise to Abraham was intended for the whole world, not just Abraham’s physical descendants (Genesis 12:3). All believers participate in this promise and are blessed as children of Abraham.
•  Therefore, since we can see that God intended for the whole world to receive his promises, it is easy to make the connection that this same promise would extend to all peoples of the world, regardless of culture, skin color or sexual orientation.
• In Christ, it doesn’t matter about your ethnic identity, your gender, or your station in life. If you are in Christ, you are one of God’s chosen people and you stand to inherit all that God has promised. It is only through Christ that anyone can inherit God’s kingdom (John 14:6). While there may still be ethnic, gender, and social distinctions that carry weight in other contexts, those distinctions do not affect one’s standing as a child of God by faith in Christ.
• As Children of God, we are not expected to take away our culture, or our traditions. Instead, our culture, our family traditions and our rituals should be celebrated within the church. It should be included in our worship of God.
• Our God is a creative God. God creates all people, of multiple backgrounds and cultures and multiple societies. Therefore, the people groups that God creates are worthy to be loved, both by God and by God’s people. That means that the culture that forms the identity of God’s people should also be celebrated and be worthy of love.
• So, as we close, I want to take a moment and review our own hearts. Are we loving our neighbor as ourselves? Are we celebrating all our neighbors for who God created them to be? Are we allowing all people to strengthen their faith along side with us, regardless of our differences in our culture? Are we celebrating all the children of God?

Conclusion: Let us be people be people who celebrate all the children of God and let us celebrate everything that they are!