Genesis 2:18-25 Then the LORD God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.” Now out of the ground the LORD God had formed every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. And whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name. The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper fit for him. So the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. And the rib that the LORD God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. Then the man said, “This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.” Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.
This morning while watching a television program I watched a report on parenting or co-parenting without attachment, meaning a man and a woman have a child together without any romantic relationship or commitment. In this scenario, the two people agree to co-parent the child outside emotional investment and commitment to each other.
Beloved, the fourth week of Advent is all about love, and the love of God in delivering Jesus our Messiah. God sent Jesus to be in relationship with each and every one of us and God created the relationship of child procreation to be all about love as well, and not just an act to make a child.
Yes, love has everything to do with it and God created man and woman to be committed to one another in love and relationship as they bring children into the world, and as they nurture their children to adulthood. Can you imagine God creating us, just for the act and not relationship?
Brothers and Sisters, God loves us and calls us to relationship with Him and with our husbands and wives. God has the expectations that just as He shows us love in relationship, that we, as God's people, will steward our children through our physical, spiritual, and emotional relationships as to raise them as a people prepared for a committed relationship as well.
My prayer for all of us as we prepare for Advent love is that we understand that love and relationship has everything to do with the arrival of the Messiah, and it has everything to do with our family structures and commitment to one another.
Love one another and love your children! What does love have to do with it? "Everything".
Pastor Tim.
