The Bible says you have received the spirit of adoption as son by which we cry out Abba father the spirit themselves bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God. Father the spirit bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God. Then I pray that even this night might be some powerful connection made. We might realize the wonderful the wonder of it all that Jesus came to reconcile us to you our father. Lord I pray indeed that would happen tonight. I pray in Jesus name and name. Christmas yields often stories of reunion. Matter of fact I saw on TV the other day advertised tonight there's a special one about reunions to army buddies that one saved the other one's life like close probably back in Vietnam and they haven't seen each other since and of course the TV news people are there to show that to you. Think of reunions of siblings that were separated you know perhaps by war or reunion and that show also that they were featuring of a mother who painfully had given a child up for adoption and now for many years later always wondering what the life of that child had yielded and they're they're being reunited. Our hearts just warms are these stories of you know years later people getting together maybe you remember the story of the two brothers one was about 73 years old he lived in Lawrence Iowa and he got news that his brother his name was Alvin straight and he got news that his brother had had a stroke his brother lived in Wisconsin now the problem is they hadn't spoken in over ten years they'd had a breach of separation and so Alvin wanted to go see his brother before his brother died and but he himself had impaired vision so he couldn't drive you know the story so he got on his John Deere lawnmower 500 miles to his brother's house he got on his 1966 John Deere and set out for his brother's house took him kind of ruined the story I remember how long he took him but it was it it took him a long time a right long time what's what's that make up took him a hundred and twenty days and all to be reconciled with his brother there's something deep in our hearts that loves the story of of young love you know teenagers or people in the early 20s that met and then something brought their lives in different maybe they married others maybe they had families and their spouses have passed away or whatever and now somewhere later in life you know there they've had miraculously in another city you know crossed again and Polly would love those kind of stories and make movies about them these the sense of reunion that somewhere out there there's a long lost love well I want to suggest tonight that perhaps we love these stories because deep in our hearts we know that they're true for all of us deep in our hearts there's a knowledge of a long lost love the Bible says that God created us with eternity in our heart we know listen to me we know that we were made for a relational connection that we don't have a gust and said it like this he said there's a God saved vacuum in every human heart and our hearts are restless until we find our rest in God there's a there's a certain restlessness about our lives there's a certain sense that out there somewhere is that relationship that I was created for the Bible says I bring you tidings of great joy angel stood on this night and said I got to tell you something that'll last your world you have a dad and he's looking for you you know when these people have these reunions at some point they must get a phone call and it's been 30 or 40 years you know when they pick up the phone there's a voice on the other end of the line and what happens when they hear that voice nothing because they sit there their mouth drops open they can't even believe that it could be true I bring you good tidings of great joy you have a dad and he's come to bring you home they have a little outline in your program your bulletin I want you to see that what the Bible tells us first of all is that we were made for this kind of intimate connection with God maybe your view of God is that he is powerful and holy and distant and while he is powerful and he is holy the Bible says he is not distant fact the Bible tells us in the very first phase not afraid the Bible's really not so much about us as it is about him the very first words of the Bible are in the beginning God it says it in the beginning there was God and God was with Father Son and Holy Spirit one another and there's a picture of family unity and harmony and love pictured if you will that this is the happiest family that ever existed here there is celebration here there's joy here there's mercy here's there's dancing and at some point Father Son and Holy Spirit said let's have kids let's enlarge the circle let's bring others into our house and the Bible tells us that God created male and female not because God had a need but because the love of God the character of God caused God to want to make creatures to share this kind of intimacy and this kind of race so this is what the Bible says this is a kind of relational connection every one of us was made for to know God as his children as his dear one as his beloved think of scriptures we read all throughout the Bible one one of them big Psalm 63 oh God thou art my God I shall seek thee earnestly my soul search for thee my flesh yearns for thee because thy loving kindness is better than life better the truest desire of my heart is that I was made for you God I was made to know you I was made to be close you I was made to be your son or your daughter you know what psychologists tell us the one need of every child principally oh they need shelter and clothing and food and education all the things they need but principally that's the fundamental need of of every child is that somebody they sense is somebody crazy about them that's what they need that's what they need that's the Bible say we are made you go reading on the Bible but one of the most familiar passages is Psalm 23 right the Lord is my what yeah for it oh that's warm right the Lord is my shepherd he takes care of me but how does it come in that I may dwell in the I might dwell in the house God and I in the house I might dwell in God's house forever Psalm 27 says one thing I ask the one thing I seek is that I might make my house with you oh God all the days of my life that's what I want consider the passage in Zeppin I ask listen to this what says the Lord your God is with you mighty to say he takes great delight in you he will cool that's something sound like that distant God it says he will quiet you with his love you hear a father or a mother quieting there's their quality style he will rejoice over you God over us with singing our hearts were made superclaim I love being loved by you God I love it I love it more than anything I was made for that now first of all that's extremely good news because because not only at some of you've never heard that but every one of us struggles to believe that that God wants to have that kind of intimate connection with us that's the good news the Bible says that all we like deep have gone astray the Bible says that even though we had a father like that just what the kids did we're gonna go dad and do life on our own the Bible says that we walked away from God it isn't like you know teeth they might wander away because they're stupid but they're too dumb to know any better they might wander away from the shepherd in the green grass but you know the Bible says it kind of works about us we didn't really just wander away we turned our back and we purposefully left and we're not coming home we're hiding in the Bible at the very beginning it says when man walked away from God our first parents Adam and Eve and God can't this this is the most one the most beautiful things is why we're gathered tonight the Bible says God didn't watch out and said good ridden you know the kids are out of the house they've been waiting for that he didn't say that you know what the Bible says he came he came for Adam and Eve he came to find them and when he came to find them what were Adam and Eve doing they were they were hiding now what were they hiding behind they're artfully crafted fig leaves and we haven't done a very good job hiding ever since you know what our fig leaves are that we put between us and God I don't I'm not I'm not walking with you I'll do life by myself the Bible calls them idols there any anything we attempt in this world to fill that emptiness that restlessness that longing that's separation from God and how do you think we try to fill that emptiness principally with other relationships all of life's about relationship family friendship boyfriend girlfriend marriage children if I could just have those and if I could just get those really cooking in my life then I'd have the kind of peace and delight and happiness that I long for well that's one way we try to fill that yearning in our heart for our long lost love but it's not the only way no we try it through business and through success and through materialism and stuff and vacations and pleasure and image and and religion I'm gonna somehow fill my life with sport I've heard of people doing that with sports with achievement with with with you know I'm gonna somehow be able to cover over the fact that I'm separated from the dad who made me three years ago a young lady came and saw me and see I'd had to drop out of college because she was pregnant outside of wedlock and she told me her story and we prayed and asked God to help her and bless her and she was sorry and she was repentant and and I asked her I said you think it's a sin that you're pregnant you think you think it is a sin and she said yes and I said not a sin to be pregnant the blessing now there's a sin involved here I said but you know if we're not careful you might be led to think that what I'm about to tell you is go out into this world and stop having three marital sexual relations you see that's the great mistake of the church very often as we see somebody in her condition and we can say she's trying to find a life without Jesus and she was drugs and drinking and partying and and now she's gotten herself in a fix and but guess what most you know I could I could paint the opposite side of the picture and say what if you were to what if you were to meet with me and then go back to college and and and get straight A's and be five beta capa and get a good job and marry a fine young man and go out in the world and make lots of money and buy a beautiful house in the suburbs and and have lots of kids guess what he could be equally as law he could be attempting to still find life without Jesus and guess guess which girl would be more blind to that guess which person doesn't understand that they're cut off from the one relationship they need that girl who's pregnant outside of ledlock struggling needy no money she can say you know what he's much closer perhaps to saying you know what there's no life outside of Jesus that other girl who's successful married got everything life's working you know what you may decide that she can she may be fooled enough to think that she can do life without you to understand us the bottom line we walked away from our dad and some an angel gave a story of her life and how God rescued her from it some have been still paralyzed by painful events in their life that they've given up any hope of being reconciled with the gods and made them their souls are numb and lifeless a friend of mine tells this story when he was eleven years old I rode my bike home from school as fast as I could with the hope of catching a bastard to out of Johnson's pond I remember thinking it's strange that my mother's car wasn't in the driveway it was Friday the day mom usually got her hair done in Greensboro with a handful of cookies in a milk mustache I grabbed my zebto 33 center and made a dash for my fishing hole I caught that day the biggest catfish in my life I unhooked him and ran a stick through his gills so I could take him home and show the oil to my afternoon adventures to mom but as I got closer to the house with my rod in one hand in my swiney big fish in the other I could see that mom's 1960 white rambler American still wasn't in the driveway out of the corner of my eye I saw Mrs. Peters the pastor's wife coming across our front yard he didn't look very cheerful got something bad has happened today is it mom I asked you to okay no stocks he's not your mother was killed in a car wreck this morning driving home from Greensboro wanted to come home with news how does an 11-year-old boy absorb such news I remember the stock I couldn't try I didn't ask questions I just went numb when my brother came from school we just looked at each other we didn't say anything no tears no words the sun went down Mrs. Peters made a suffer we waited for dad we sat at the kitchen table the screen door open an in-walk talk boys you know what happened we nodded and then he walked right by us into his own paralyzing grief we never touched we never talked we never feared at least not together never so this day I have no idea what happened to my sister to my zebco 33 spinner but I do know what happened to my heart that cool fall day late in October 1961 represents the beginning of a journey the three of us my dad brother and I took into denial isolation and survival I don't know what your story is I don't know if you've been out there hustling like crazy to make life work for you I don't know if you've been the bad you know the bad girl or I don't know if you've been the good girl like a good news for you good dad was in for you and once you're home remember reading one to the mother this child was the reject in the neighborhood the other kids never wanted to play with some these up past he was obnoxious one day he got invited to play and there were playing hide-and-seek and she was so excited she watched him out the door the problem was when he hid he hid better than anybody it's just like him he hid he's narrowed under a big pile of leaves so good that none of the other kids to find him and they didn't really care about him anyway so they gave up and started playing something else and he was still under the leaves as he stood there watched the sun out of the yard under the leaves while the other kids were playing together he said the tears could hit the roll down his face and he just said come on get found get found John and I just what I want to say to you get found there's a party and dad's house and I could tell you as one standing up here I wasn't the bad girl I was the good one I not only was a good guy I went to college and got good grade and got married and thought I could find life and family and life and marriage and life and being a good dad and life and I mean I went for the whole you know to feed a banana I became a preacher I'll find life and in building a person and giving myself to the ministry I'll find life to put me a long time to hear the father saying come home boy don't do life without me I want you to come home and I was a little boy we used to sing this song I love to tell the story of unseen things above of Jesus and his glory of Jesus and his love I love to tell the stories because I know his true it satisfies my longing as nothing else can do it's an often story so let me finish with this what's that story it's that God sent his son to find you have you ever noticed it Christmas between the candy and the carols and the parades and the parties and the concerts and and the mall sometimes in the middle of it we start scratching our heads and saying what what are we doing all this for a tale or doing it for we're doing it to celebrate this that God sent his own son your older brother on a mission so that he could reconcile you to himself the Bible says the angel said as they stood before at the watching shepherd peace honor peace among men in whom God's favor rests this child is coming to affect a reconciliation between God Jesus did not come simply to teach or to heal or to do miracles became to get God's Aaron children and bring them home who would have thought who would have thought at the beginning of 2001 or halfway through this year that the two most plain words of the year would be these words let's roll the passengers on the back of an airplane would decide that a country is well-being was at stake and fearful but not letting their fear overcome their duty they looked at one another and they said we can do something about this horrible day and they said let's roll and up they charge the aisle of the plane and who knows how they changed our nation's future 2000 years ago here those were a father's son and Holy Spirit bond and covenant with one another and they look into the eyes of Jesus and they say it's time in the fullness of time it's now go rescue the children and Jesus came the Bible says he did come to do this he came to reveal the true character of God because some of you might be sitting here tonight and saying you know what you're saying sounds good pastor but you know my picture of God is sort of like Moa Omar you know kind of like the Taliban I'm not sure I really want to come home to a God who's parked in in judgmental and some people's a great deal of a folks picture of God is more like a policeman or a principal God did you hear the first we read in Roman chapter 8 Jesus came into the world and he introduced the most radical idea Jewish folks would not even say the name of God what if they said it wrong what if they said it improperly they'd be struck dead they wouldn't even say his name Jesus comes along and says when you talk to God call him father yes he should call him father when past that he said when you talk to God call him Abba dad daddy I don't know when I was speaking to second graders one time at a chapel in our school I said he said when you talk to God you can call him daddy and they just burst out laughing they never heard such a ludicrous thing that you could be on that familiar and enemy times with God that's what he invites you to that's what I invite you to tonight Jesus comes and introduces this wild notion that's what God's like and that's how he feels about you friend of mine told me about a wedding he did he said as a conventional wedding though dies came forward the groom was there they had the fancy music the candles were lit the women came down you know and the maid of honor and the little little turtles and the flower girls and everything was in place everything was standard it was glorious it was beautiful and then the drawers open and the big oak drawers open in the back of the church and there's good dry everything was smooth until the groom saw the bride and he lit out to the back of the church he just hyped up his trousers and in a dead run ran to the back of the church might be sitting this night and saying God coming you know God I guess I should speak to you and I'm here to tell you that God's speaking to you God is that groom God is God is looking for you and your father wants that intimate relationship the grooms who couldn't even wait for his bride he ran to her is a picture of a God who runs to you he sent his son into this world to find you to bring you to him so passionate as he for you there you believe that this night I don't know how to believe you such a friend once who's forgotten a child who was so traumatized early in his life that he couldn't sit still he never let them hold him and he wouldn't ever look at him in the eyes and so the doctor said squeeze him and don't let him go and even if you have to take his head and hold it you're into his eyes just pour your love into him that's what God wants to do with you and I can tell by looking at you some of your slamming and some of you looking his eyes will get found get found why not tonight get found do you know the love of a father who sings over you do you know that he is your long-lost love that he has sent your brother to bring you home I don't know what you'll get for Christmas tomorrow but I know that's what your heart is I the most last weekend we had the Messiah in this room there was one little boy present he's just four years old he was recently adopted he was quite neglected early in his life his grandmother told me that at the Messiah program he stood on his chair the whole hour and a half and he danced the whole program why would he dance because once he had nothing and now he has a family and a home and a future this might be your 60 or 70th Christmas I don't know but tonight and tomorrow I invite you dance little children stand your daddy is looking for you as he wants you home I will arise and go to Jesus he will embrace me in his arms in the arms of my dear Savior oh there are 10,000 time you bow your heads and pray I just want to give you a minute to believe that I will arise and go to Jesus he will embrace me in his arms the God saved vacuum and every human heart and man is restful until he finds his rest indeed about right now good life I'm not going to ask you to come for it I'm not going to ask you to raise your hand but if you want to go home to dad understand that he's already come for you tonight I tonight I employ you get found because there's life in Jesus and there is life in nothing father this very night all your loved ones home to you bring them into your embrace into your bosom start something new even as angel said if this is a season that had some ugliness and struggle and pain then Lord I pray that there'll be some standing in front of a church on Christmas Eve 10 and 20 and 30 years to have saying I remember that night 2001 when I first heard that my dad wanted me home oh experienced his embrace this night he prayed in the name of Jesus