December 21: Sons & Daughters of The King: A Royal Community of Love
♫ Music:
Day 21 - Saturday, December 21
Title: Sons & Daughters of The King: A Royal Community of Love
Scripture #1: Galatians 4:4–7 (NKJV)
But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!” Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.
Scripture #2: Romans 8:14–17 (NKJV)
For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.
Scripture #3: 1 Peter 2:9–10 (NKJV)
But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.
Poetry:
“After Rublev’s Trinity”
by Carrie Purcell Kahler
Each face turned toward
a face at table leaving
always a space for
one more. An open
door to run through when someone
can’t quite make it home
on their own. Though the
wings work, humans haven’t got
them, and it’s hard to
converse from heights so,
in one hand a staff to lean
on. The other hand
ever reaches down.
THE SPIRIT OF ADOPTION: TURNING ORPHANS INTO FAMILY
Doesn’t every heart know something of being an orphan? Mine does.
I watch vigilantly for danger. I find security in savings buffers and back-up plans. I panic when I hit the limits of my self-sufficiency. Hidden behind my frantic problem-solving is a lie: I am on my own. There is no one else to protect, provide, or rescue. It’s all on me.
It’s very good news that Yahweh has always had a soft spot for orphans.
In Jesus, we’re adopted. But adoption is no simple solution. The heart once enslaved by fear must learn how to relax into the tender embrace of trustworthy love. The malnourished soul finds itself hoarding scraps though the pantry is stocked and the banquet prepared. The spirit that has panted for belonging often returns to broken cisterns instead of drinking deeply from Rivers of Love.
Adoption does not pretend to erase what came before. It extends a covenant of committed love for the road ahead: “Come what may, I will stay with you. I claim you. I am yours and you are Mine.”
It is hard for orphaned hearts to trust such a promise. So God draws near enough to sing lullabies over us from within: His Spirit of Love stirring hearts gone silent to take up the intimate plea of a toddler. Abba.
Slaves made sons. Orphans made heirs. The rejected, chosen. Those who longed for mercy cradled by compassion: Held at last by steady love.
But adoption doesn’t just mean a Father. It means a family. Remember: Yahweh has always had a soft spot for orphans.
This is the trickier part, isn’t it? After all, trauma has a habit of begetting dysfunctional families, and orphans know trauma. This Table bears no pretending, and we each come with wounds, scars, sins, and stories. Wearing the golden already, not yet crown of a saint doesn’t erase the ways I’m difficult to love.
Being the Beloved sells easier than joining the Beloved community.
Still, adopted children are invited to take up the promise of their Abba: “Come what may, I will stay with you. I claim you. I am yours and you are mine.”*
What sustains such a promise? What renews bonds of love within a family that falls back, often, into the bondage of fear? What binds up the brokenness between us, not just within us?
Not what, but Who. The same Spirit who moves us to cry, “Abba” teaches us also to cry, “Brother.”
And this cry, too, is for our healing. Vigilant hearts that choose the risks of trust are healing. Grasping hearts that choose generosity are healing. Self-sufficient hearts that enter willingly into interdependence and mutual submission are healing.
And orphans who choose to practice committed love around a Table—“leaving / always a space for / one more”—are healing.
The Spirit at work within us and between us leads us tenderly out of isolation, until by loving and being loved we know that we are orphans no more. We are his. Together.
*Love does not mean staying proximate to harm, but practices boundaries and accountability. If you or someone you love is experiencing abuse, seek help.
Prayer:
Abba,
Meet us in the secret places no one else can reach. Give us courage to trace our wounds and come out of hiding. Help us relax into your goodness and receive your intimate, quieting care. As we open to you, help us to move toward one another, extending affection, welcome, grace, and forgiveness. Bind us by your Spirit as we do the hard work that family requires.
Hannah Williamson
Freelance Writer
Alumna of Biola University
Torrey Honors College
For more information about the artwork, music, and poetry selected for this day, we have provided resources under the “About” tab located next to the “Devotional” tab.
About the Artwork:
Life in Community (overall and detail view)
Aidan Hart
© 2002
Illuminated manuscript on vellum with gold leaf, ink, and tempera paint
The Saint John's Bible
Saint John's University
Collegeville, Minnesota, USA
Used with permission
All rights reserved
This complex multilayered work from The Saint John's Bible represents an image of the ideal community in Christ. At the center of the composition, other apostles and figures representing saints throughout church history surround the Virgin Mary, Paul, and Peter. In addition, women, men, and clerics are seated alongside laypeople of various cultures and ethnicities. Everyone is gathered around a never-ending central table set for a feast. An altar sits in the foreground with the Scriptures and the elements of the Eucharist. Above the gathering, Christ is seated in the heavens. One of the four passages of calligraphy on the image reads, “Now the whole group of those who believed were of one heart and soul.” In this image we are reminded that we are called into community within the body of Christ—we are not meant to live out the Christian life alone.
About the Artist:
Aidan Hart (b. 1957) is a British artist who grew up in New Zealand and worked there as a full-time sculptor after completing a degree in English literature and a diploma in secondary education teaching. In 1983, Hart became a member of the Orthodox Church, returned to England, and began work as a professional iconographer. While continuing to work as an iconographer from 1988 to 2000, he also spent two years as a monk on Mount Athos, Greece, and six years as a hermit in Shropshire, UK. This intense life of prayer profoundly affected his life and work. Hart is now married with two children and has developed expertise in a wide range of media and techniques, including egg tempera, panel painting, fresco painting, stone and wood carving, illuminated manuscript painting, church furniture design, and mosaics. Hart has published two books, Techniques of Icon and Wall Painting, widely regarded as the foremost work on the subject, and Beauty Spirit Matter, a collection of essays. In 2009 he founded the Certificate in Icon Painting, a three-year part-time program that he continues to teach and which is run by the Prince's School of Traditional Arts, London.
https://aidanharticons.com/
About the Music: “Child of the King” from the album Good Things Take Time
Lyrics:
Once I was clothed in the rags of my sin
Wretched and poor
Lost and lonely within
But with wondrous compassion
The King of all kings
In pity and love
Took me under his wings
Oh yes, oh yes
I'm a child of the King
His royal blood
Now flows in my veins
And I, who was wretched and poor, now can sing
Praise God, Praise God
I'm a child of the King
Now I'm a child
With a heavenly home
My holy father
Well, He make me his own
And I am washed by his blood
And I'm clothed in his love
And someday I'll sing
With the angels above
Oh yes, oh yes
I'm a child of the King
His royal blood
Now flows in my veins
And I, who was wretched and poor, now can sing
Praise God, Praise God
I'm a child of the King
Praise God, Praise God
I'm a child of the King
About the Composer:
"Brother" Claude Ely (1922–1978) was an American Appalachian religious singer-songwriter and a Pentecostal Holiness preacher. Brother Claude Daniel Ely was known as the King Recording Label's "Gospel Ranger" of the Appalachian Mountains. He was the first Pentecostal recording artist to be signed to a major recording label for strictly sacred music and songs. Receiving fame for his song "There Ain’t No Grave (Gonna Hold My Body Down),” Ely's musical and spiritual style has influenced both secular and sacred music enthusiasts. Often music historians attest that other musical artists cite Ely as having been a positive influence on their works as well. Artists recording Ely's songs include Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash. Robert Duvall's self-produced movie entitled The Apostle also integrated Ely's music to its soundtrack. Ely also pastored various churches in Kentucky, Virginia, and the Cincinnati, Ohio, area and hosted a radio program entitled The Gospel Ranger Show, which aired across the southeastern portion of the United States.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claude_Ely
https://www.forcedexposure.com/Artists/ELY.BROTHER.CLAUDE.html
About the Performers:
Since the early 1990s, the Gaither Vocal Band has served as a standard-bearer in the world of gospel music. Founded by legendary gospel songwriter and producer Bill Gaither, this Grammy-winning vocal group has performed in the world’s most prestigious venues, including the Sydney Opera House, the Kennedy Center, and Carnegie Hall. The list of men who have composed the Gaither Vocal Band over the past thirty years reads like a “Who’s Who” among the gospel music industry’s best-loved voices, including Steve Green, Larnelle Harris, Mark Lowry, Michael English, David Phelps, and many others. Today, the Gaither Vocal Band roster is composed of five power-packed voices, including Bill Gaither, Wes Hampton, Adam Crabb, Todd Suttles, and Reggie Smith. Individually, these men are gifted artists and men of authentic faith. Together, they are known around the world for their stunning vocals, innovative harmonies, and life-altering message…a message of grace, hope, and redemption.
https://gaither.com/artists/gaither-vocal-band/
About the Poetry & Poet:
Carrie Purcell Kahler holds an M.F.A. in creative writing from the University of Washington and is passionate about using language in all its myriad possibilities. She has worked extensively with Pacific Northwest arts groups including Poetry Northwest, Seattle Review, Writers in the Schools, Teen Turbine, the Heroes, and the Washington State Music Teachers Association. She edits and writes newsletters, web content, poetry, book reviews, educational content, fundraising and campaign content. She has managed volunteer teams, planned both in-person and virtual conferences, run interdisciplinary workshops, and produced successful crowdfunding campaigns. In addition, she has taught writing both in the community and at the university level. Originally from Washington, she enjoys chasing sunshine in the winter, gardening in the summer, and reading books all the time.
https://carriepurcellkahler.com/about-me/
About the Devotion Author:
Hannah Williamson
Freelance Writer
Alumna of Biola University
Torrey Honors College
Hannah Williamson is an anchored friend, curious explorer, and Velveteen Rabbit. She seeks to foster sanctuaries of belonging, delight in goodness, and cultivate gritty hope. She is grateful to the brothers and sisters who have taught her to practice trustworthy, tender presence, write and speak life, and cling stubbornly to the strength of Love. | hannahewilliamson.substack.com