ARE YOU GOD'S CHILD

December 14, 2025

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Today is the third Sunday that many observe as “Advent,” the time of anticipation for Jesus's birth. Some will mark this day with a reading from Psalm 146, which is a “Praise for God’s Help.” However, as I read this Psalm, I was shown a message I want to share with you. I imagined myself sitting with Jesus while we read the Psalm, and this is how he explained it to me.

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We explore the birth of Jesus in various ways, across different cultures, and for many reasons. This Psalm predates Jesus's birth but conveys a message Jesus taught that is central to his coming. Today, that message helps us understand why we celebrate Jesus and what his life should teach us about ourselves. Jesus said, "I am God's child," and everyone knew they were too. Are you God's child?

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Psalm 146:7, Who executes justice for the oppressed; who gives food to the hungry. The LORD sets the prisoners free.

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Indeed, we should “praise the LORD,” for all that makes up our life. We must recognize and accept that without the “life-force” within us, the “Spirit of God,” we would not exist. When we think of the birth of Jesus, we are also reminded of our own birth, not to recall the event itself, but to acknowledge it as a “Gift from God.” Then we should examine ourselves in light of Jesus's witness and teachings to see whether we, too, walk in his ways. Jesus was the teacher and the example. Are you learning from him and following his path?

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The Gospels and other accounts of Jesus' life show that he stood up for those oppressed by governments, rulers, overseers, and authorities. He fought for their rights and encouraged them to speak up. We read stories of him feeding the hungry and healing the sick. We often forget that a key part of the gatherings Jesus and his followers held was around a meal, and he didn’t turn anyone away. We should follow his example today. He looked at those imprisoned and oppressed by the authorities of his time and treated their struggles with kindness and understanding. This wasn’t only about those in prison; he saw, as I do today, how many are “imprisoned” by circumstances that control their lives—oppressive governments, employers, relationships, and within our families. He spoke of freedom and showed us the way to it, if not physically, then in the Spirit. Do you do the same?

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Psalm 146:8, The LORD opens the eyes of the blind. The LORD lifts up those who are bowed down; the LORD loves the righteous.

 

Too often in our “Christianized world,” we read these words and think of Jesus. We should interpret the words as Jesus would. To Jesus and all the Jews, there is only one “LORD,” which is why it is correctly written in all capitals. Jesus may be seen as “Lord” of your faith, but only God is to be recognized as “LORD” of your life. Jesus, your “Lord” and “Teacher,” can guide you, but only God is the “LORD” of that path and the destination that path leads to. Jesus is said to have healed the blind, but I don’t need a supernatural miracle to open the blindness in my heart, mind, and spirit; all I need is to follow Jesus’ teachings and trust in the same “LORD” he did. We are all “bowed down” even if we fail to realize it. We are bowed to the sins of our lives, the corruption of the world we live in, and the choices we make. We bow to blindly follow teachings that defy logic, common sense, and the understanding God gave us at birth. We fail to live in a “right relationship” with our God. Instead, we close our eyes to the reality God presents to us and bow to the commands of those we give authority over us. And we refuse to seek the righteousness that God reveals.

 

Psalm 146:9, The LORD watches over the strangers; He upholds the orphan and the widow, but the way of the wicked He brings to ruin.

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We live in a country and world that has turned away from godliness. Those who are less fortunate than we are; are just as much a “child of God” as you are. They may not be “just like you,” but in God's eyes, they are loved equally. You are not a special, separate individual or group; you are “one of many,” created to come together as one, to serve the purposes of our “One Creator and God,” and to be all we were designed and created to be. But we refuse to do so. Is that you?

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Our society has rejected those among us who do not conform to our expectations or support our political, social, and religious dictates. We live in a time when the oppression of others, which was gradually being eliminated, has now shifted toward absolutism. Instead of coming together to fulfill God’s plan for humankind, we seem to want to divide ourselves into castes, groups, cults, parties, congregations, and denominations. We are our worst enemies; we don’t need a Satan because evil is the choice we make for ourselves.

The Psalmist warns us that our wicked ways lead to our downfall. This has been God’s warning to humanity from the start. We refuse to accept the reality God has shown us. We either live our lives in the "Way of God" or we endure our lives in the "way of the wicked." What will your choice be?

 

The wicked are those who refuse to live in godliness, those who chase after the lusts of their hearts and seek self-gratification and exaltation above all else. The wicked are those who choose to see others only through the darkness of themselves, judging them, rejecting them as God has made them, and doing all they can to destroy the lives of others to please themselves. The wicked are those who see others as unworthy and less than what they themselves deem proper, even though they misunderstand and have no proof to support their charges other than how they choose to feel. They are wicked because in all these things they have put themselves above the Will of God; they have put themselves where only God should be, for “judgment” of another's life is in the hands of God alone. Does this sound like you?

 

The way of God is living in a right relationship with Him. That means acting in a way that reflects God's love toward all humankind and all creation, just as God does and as Jesus demonstrated. We walk in God's path when we seek the message Jesus and others shared with us, the guidance they provide, and the light they shine so we can follow. Life is a journey; the way we live is a testimony to God and the world of what is in our hearts and the health of our souls. Nothing or no one can live your life for you; it is yours and yours alone. No institution, government, society, or culture can cause you to stray from God’s Path—you must choose it yourself. They may tempt you, but the decision is yours. Who you truly are inside will be reflected in the witness you present before God and the world. What does God see in you? What witness are you projecting that the world should want to follow? We forget that children watch and follow in our footsteps. Where are you leading them?

 

Each of us anticipates Christmas in our own way. We may follow others in certain traditions and beliefs, but the true meaning of Christmas is found within ourselves. It is what we know in our hearts, how we feel about the world we live in, and those who share this world with us. During this time of year, we look forward to Christmas and what it means to us personally—inside our hearts and minds—and how it shows in our lives.

 

The most important lesson we should learn from our Scripture today is that there is “One True God,” and the “LORD” is with each of us at all times. How we relate to our Creator should be the focus of our lives, as it is reflected in all we say and do. We will never be what God designed and created us to be until we accept all others as God created them to be and recognize that God’s desire for humankind is for us to come together, love one another, live in unity and peace, and let God be God, and you be His children. Are you God’s child?

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Unless noted, Bible Quotes are from "New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition" (NRSVUE)

Rev. Dr. Shannon Rogers, DDiv