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Christmas: The Ultimate Story of Adoption and Family
21 Plays1 month ago
Dive into the heart of Christmas as we reflect on its deep connections to family, adoption, and the birth of Jesus. Discover why the true spirit of the season is about embracing imperfections and celebrating the perfect love that overcomes all. Ready to change your perspective on holiday traditions?
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Transcript
Introduction and Setting
00:00:01
Speaker
We all have a story, and at times we feel we're walking it out alone. Let's pause and think. Join us for honest
00:00:22
Speaker
Hi there.
Relevance of 'Tuning In' Today
00:00:23
Speaker
My name is Aixa and we're here at Jackie's Place, all beautiful with Christmas motif. We're going to talk about Christmas. thank you Thank you for tuning in. Do we even say tune in because we don't tune in anymore?
Adoption in Salvation and Personal Experiences
00:00:38
Speaker
No, we're just listening we're streaming hot aha streaming yeah ah to To pause and think podcast, we have had a blast, learned so much from beautiful guests that we've had on. And today is the two of us. We're going to talk about the big Christmas story. Yeah. The big, big Christmas story that is like a big protective umbrella over all our messy stories.
00:01:04
Speaker
Yes. And we are so thankful for Christmas. We're excited. um It's our favorite season, yeah time of year. For me, it's my favorite holiday. I have lots of good memories of Christmas, but we both know the real reason of the season is Jesus. Yes. Yes.
00:01:23
Speaker
and You know, I think I don't know if it's like where I hang out more now the past few years since we adopted, but I feel like the church in general is shifting toward more of an adoption narrative with our, you know, salvation and redemption story.
Adoption's Importance in Faith
00:01:46
Speaker
Adoption in Christ has been more on the map. I don't know if how you feel about it.
00:01:51
Speaker
Yeah, I feel definitely that um the churches are really focusing on our adoption in Christ. And if it wasn't for our Heavenly Father bringing us in, saving us,
00:02:08
Speaker
for her um as lost sinners and adopting us as his sons and daughters. um We wouldn't be sitting here today, Aisha.
Joseph's Role in the Christmas Story
00:02:17
Speaker
And our podcast Paws and Think is just to have real honest conversations at the table yes with some fresh baked chocolate chip cookies. to And just talk about adoption and foster care. And so today ah we're going to highlight the Christmas story and just talk about how it really represents adoption and foster care, Joseph. So let's talk about Joseph. Yeah. Wow. Talk about stepping up.
00:02:50
Speaker
He's one of my favorite guys from the whole scripture. And we you know when you're on the periphery of Christianity, when you when you have not taken the plunge into scripture and um you know just being part of a church and everything, I sense that people like me used to think like,
00:03:14
Speaker
but God's story and God's people and you know scripture was all about tidy tidy you know perfect perfect lines and perfect families and like in man like the way the Lord chose to show up on this earth was a messy Yeah.
Mary, Joseph, and Societal Norms
00:03:35
Speaker
it's It's very complicated at times. Very complicated. Like the fact that, you know, he chooses a teenage girl from a very small town and promises to her that, you know, salvation's coming and it's going to be in your belly and just trust me. And she's like, okay, I will. Aha. She's doubtful. But she's like, okay, I'm on.
00:03:59
Speaker
And then the Lord takes care to announce this whole thing to the fiance because they weren't married. And this, you know, at this point of history,
00:04:10
Speaker
is a problem. It's a very big problem. She would have, by law, but been required to be stoned because it's out of wedlock.
Joseph's Decision and Divine Intervention
00:04:20
Speaker
And like and imagine Joseph. Yup. I can't. He was engaged to Mary. And maybe some of you who are listening um haven't even read the Bible. So that's why we're explaining all this. you know Joseph was the fiancee.
00:04:37
Speaker
God told Mary she was going to carry in her womb the savior of the world, baby Jesus. That's how Christmas all came to be. And Joseph, I can't even imagine Joseph was like, what in the world is going on? Like none of this makes sense to me. You know, I'm not the biological father, but I'm engaged to this girl who I love. And then,
00:05:05
Speaker
God literally spoke to Joseph and explained to him and that he was to marry her, which he was planning anyway. yeah He could have left, broke up. He was planning on it.
00:05:19
Speaker
And the Lord interrupted, because he was an honorable man. he wasn't you know ah you know He wasn't going to be irresponsible in that way. He was going to divorce her in secret. That's what the Bible says, because it's just different time, ah different customs.
00:05:37
Speaker
No, I said that. Customs. Yes, that. Not customs. Yes, like, yeah, Halloween. but no that's not Yeah, English is my second language. Bear with me. But you're doing great. So let's just keep going. I say words, too, that are kind of crazy.
00:05:50
Speaker
OK, so that customs. Exactly. And so um they, you know, they had ways in which to break off an engagement that was not as damaging. And he was thinking about it. But the Lord stopped him and he was like humble enough and meek enough to say, I trust you with this. Let's let's do it.
00:06:15
Speaker
And then, you know, he's told that this child, he was going to be the protector because a man in Israel was a man, like a man-man.
Humble Birth of Jesus
00:06:25
Speaker
So he had to protect her and the child. In circumstances, they were less than ideal because then, you know, the the whole... Where was baby Jesus born? Yeah, because they had to travel and it's not even Spirit Airlines. it's
00:06:44
Speaker
It's No car, no van. No car, no nothing. And they had to travel and a don long ways, yes. I can't imagine. To do a census. Because it was like, um like um what do you call, unedito?
00:07:02
Speaker
ah yeah Like a mandatory thing where you have to go to your town of origin. And, that you know, it's just as a side note, it's beautiful to see how the Lord is just doing everything to fulfill scripture. And you cannot stop God. And this is like the ruler of the day, Roman Empire.
00:07:23
Speaker
sets out to, you know, give an order to, you know, people to arrive at their town of origin for the census. And lo and behold, you know, Mary starts labor.
00:07:38
Speaker
yeah And they couldn't find a place to have the baby, no but the baby Jesus was born in a manger. The less the least yeah beautiful place, no hospital, in a manger. And so that's how the King of Kings started his life. But we are talking about adoption and foster care, and our heart is to talk about adoption. and we at this season, wanted to bring up Joseph because Aisha, we have um heard and been aware through other stories that we've walked with people with in their stories that are so different. Everybody has a different story to tell. who And some of them are really messy and complicated. Kind of like Joseph, what he was involved in with Mary
00:08:36
Speaker
didn't make sense. But there are fathers like Joseph who have married single mothers that already had a baby just like Joseph was willing to love because they were in love with the girl and willing to not only care and foster and be a father figure, but adopt the child.
Jesus' Lineage and Joseph's Role
00:09:05
Speaker
We know of stories that are so comparable. Yeah, and there's a very interesting aspect here. ah Israel is a very ah oriented tool
00:09:21
Speaker
ah towards tradition in family lines, in family names. Lineage. Lineage. And it's it's amazing that the Lord would choose these these two people because, you know, Jesus' heritage, you know, when he's called the son of David, that's from Joseph's side. So his human identity,
00:09:47
Speaker
was from just rooted in his father's side, even though his biological mom was Mary, like to keep in line and to fulfill scripture and the promises and the prophecies Joseph was the element to have. So it's amazing how the Lord honors his obedience in that way. Because if you go back and then to the Old Testament and Ruth and Obed and all those people back there, you see that the line goes through Joseph. So when the Lord is called son of David, it's through the father's side. That goes to show you. And he didn't even have
00:10:30
Speaker
any drop of blood no from Joseph. no And so it's a true adoption story. yeah Yes. And it tells you something about our our Lord's character. it tells It tells you something about the creator of the universe and how he ordains things to happen.
00:10:51
Speaker
in what is good for a child to thrive. If he chose his own son, if he chose to put on a body and experience life and fulfill redemption in his whole plan,
00:11:09
Speaker
And he picked a family. That tells you something. That tells you how important family is in a mom and a dad for a child. This is the son of God. um And just a note of comfort here for for moms and dads. One of my favorite pieces of the story, because we were told really little about Mary and Joseph.
00:11:35
Speaker
um But we know this, they lost Jesus when he was 12 at the temple. So you don't need to be perfect. That's such a comfort to my heart. Like the Lord didn't pick them because they were perfect. right But they were obedient, both of them. Humble and obedient. And coming from the adoptive child's perspective, baby Jesus did not raise his hand and say, I want you to choose so and so to be my mom and dad. He had no choice. And so I know just from being an adult adoptee,
00:12:16
Speaker
I know I often wondered, like, how did I get to this family? Like, it just was so mind boggling at times to me. And, you know, when I was in my rebellious days and I got in trouble, and those were the times where I i was like, oh, I don't even want to be part of this family.
00:12:36
Speaker
Or I was angry with my mom or angry with my dad for disciplining me, which I probably 100% deserved it. But it was still a war in my mind. But I had no choice because like we're talking about God chose Mary and Joseph. We don't have a choice. And even though we don't maybe like the family God chose for us, there came a came a point in time in my life that I accepted it. And now I understand the blessing my parents were and the blessing from that line, that father's line, like Joseph.
00:13:19
Speaker
what he gave to Jesus and how, you know, like we're talking about he wasn't even a perfect dad. He lost him. They didn't even know where he was in the temple for three days. You know, I can't imagine losing my child. I would be like, oh, my goodness, the the anguish, like wondering if they were stolen, if, you know, feeling like a loser parent, thinking, how could I have lost my kid?
00:13:44
Speaker
um Well, God's kid, that's yeah exactly the son of God. You lost him. Can you imagine the bickering between them? Those Mary and Joseph, like it was your, you know, you were supposed to be watching him. but I mean, what pressure, but just the fact that we, you know, from the child's side, yes and you know, you might be an adult adoptee or even a teenager wondering, you know, how did I get here?
00:14:13
Speaker
Well, we know that Scripture tells us that before you were ever formed in your mother's womb, I knew you. Who? Who? God knew you. God knows you. God knows your story. He knows your thoughts, your life, because every life matters, right? And we just see, even though it's difficult,
00:14:40
Speaker
We do choose to see also the beauty, the hand of God, that sometimes makes no sense to our human way of thinking. like and i I've reflected on on on a piece of this story for years. The Lord started his ministry when he was around 30. So he wasn't home for all those years prior.
00:15:07
Speaker
You have to take note of that. Even if we're not told that whole lot, the fact that the Lord, in that scene in the temple in Jerusalem, it says that he decided to go with them and learn obedience.
00:15:26
Speaker
has, you know, played with my head for so long. He was Jesus. He was Jesus. I'm sure he was obedient. The Lord. I mean, he was a creator. He was a hundred percent God, a hundred percent man. in And scripture says he went with them to learn obedience. That tells me everything. And then you see him do ministry and be this kind of son to his heavenly father. But he learned a trade. They were basically ah construction workers. We tend to say carpenters. And then when when I went to Israel a few years back, a guide said, well, we don't have much wood here, so it's a lot of stone. So it's probably more... Chiseling. Chiseling and construction. Yeah. And he learned it from his dad.
00:16:18
Speaker
And everything about that and the fact that he um you know he is 100% God, but the human factor still
Reflections on Jesus' Life and Family
00:16:29
Speaker
stands. He grew up in a family. He learned obedience with mom and dad and had siblings. We know that from scripture. That has a weight. And it's a beautiful reminder of the impact of a father and a mom. Family. And family. What family means. Absolutely. um So you you we cannot take that away from Jesus' story and the Christmas story, the fact that it happened in the framework of a family and and the care of two people in in who are flawed.
00:17:12
Speaker
yeah and who carried out the plan the Lord had for them in obedience, and how you know we are able to claim that heritage, that inheritance in heaven with our brother, older brother Jesus, because this young couple said yes.
00:17:33
Speaker
Yes, and that's our heart, is to be an encouragement to you whether you're an adoptee or whether you're a parent like Aisha who, like my parents, um heard from God and wanted to adopt a child, two children you adopted,
00:17:54
Speaker
and lovingly bring them into your family because family, as we've seen baby Jesus as he was born into this family that God chose, it was part of God's plan, our heavenly Father's plan.
Christmas Reflections and God's Plan
00:18:08
Speaker
And so we just want to encourage you today um as a parent or as an adoptee that our heavenly Father truly does have a plan for our lives. And even though we can't understand it, or we might be going through a difficult time during this holiday season, that we want to encourage you to press in to your Heavenly Father.
00:18:35
Speaker
because he's the one who ultimately knows everything about your life, what's good for your life, even though we might not understand it. And as parents, you might be um walking through a difficult season or as a kid or an adult adoptee being in a very difficult time of life. But Christmas is really all about Family and adoption and the birth of our Savior Jesus The Lord did not keep himself away in safe From trouble from pain. He became one of us and that's what Christmas is about He became one of us to save us from ourselves and to be um for Forever our father he he he he came so the
00:19:28
Speaker
Curse of sin could be broken so we can live in freedom and know him and have our happily you ever after with him and so we are just thankful and praising God that we can remember that with traditions with good food with you know everything that this season brings and we are able to celebrate not because some circumstances are perfect but because he is he is perfect he's praiseworthy all the time he has been good so let's trust him and obey him and joyfully carry our crosses because he is able and he's good