This weekend will mark the 20th anniversary of the global phenomenon known as “Orphan Sunday.” Celebrated on almost every continent, the humble origins of this ecumenical focus on orphaned children make an amazing story in themselves – and I encourage you to read that story here: https://goodnewsmag.org/orphans-and-mustard-seeds/
This week I want to talk about Orphan Sunday not in terms of its founding but in terms of its ever-more-urgent application in our world.
We need Orphan Sunday.
We NEED Orphan Sunday.
In fact, I would argue that we need Orphan Sunday just about EVERY Sunday.
Why?
Because Orphan Sunday makes God’s character and priorities crystal clear.
Because Orphan Sunday points beyond the divisions and distractions of the moment, recalling the actual point of ministry (which we successfully ignore too much of the time).
Because Orphan Sunday reminds us of who we are, ourselves, without our Father in Heaven – we are vulnerable, hopeless, lost.
Because Orphan Sunday also reminds us of Whose we are because our Father in Heaven has adopted us – we are rescued, redeemed, and grafted into the family of God as true sons and daughters.
Consider the “how” and “why” of Orphan Sunday, and ask yourself whether you don’t need more of this stuff, every day of the year…
First, the truth of scripture.
Orphan Sunday proclaims undiluted, unfiltered, unapologetic scriptural truth. It declares both the words of comfort and the words of conviction of our Lord. And it applies that truth to actual people in this present moment:
“I will not leave you orphaned.”
(Jesus in John 14:18)
“Can a woman forget her nursing child,
(God speaking through Isaiah, 49:15 – 16)
or show no compassion for the child of her womb?
Even these may forget,
yet I will not forget you.
16 See, I have inscribed you on the palms of my hands… “
“Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.”
(James 1:27)
Orphan Sunday is predicated on the principle that God means what God says, and that God calls His people to live out His precepts in tangible ways.
Orphan care – whether through advocacy, fostering, adoption, fundraising, sponsorship, etc. – takes God’s words literally, and changes the world one life at a time by walking out those words.
Orphan Sunday emphases remind Christians that this is actually what Christians are supposed to do – ALL the time: Listen to God. Obey God. Change the world. Really!
Second, the unity of the Body of Christ around the world when focused on orphaned children. Orphan Sunday organizes the Church – the unified, global Body of Christ – to work as One on behalf of Christ’s precious ones – truly a miraculous synergy!
As a “movement” that transcends denominational distinctives and recalls the simplicity of the early church, Orphan Sunday achieves what might seem impossible at other times: cooperation of Christians across miles, language barriers, baptismal and eucharistic traditions, etc.
Under the headship of Christ, the Body really can be synchronized for gloriously grace-filled action!
“If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love, any sharing in the Spirit, any compassion and sympathy, 2 make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.”
(Philippians 2:2)
Christianity has been splintered over the centuries. The Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and Protestant branches of faith-tree are just the beginning… literally dozens of denominations claiming “Wesleyan” heritage, and how many thousands of independent “Bible churches” exist even just in North America?
Divided by everything from doctrine to geography, the Church as Christ’s Bride is sadly diminished in Her capacity to witness to a watching world in the way scripture commends.
But Orphan Sunday bridges those divisions.
Orphan Sunday recalls Christians of all persuasions and locations to the centrality of Christ’s love for children and the specificity of Christ’s command to care for them in His name.
Christ famously enjoined believers to have “faith like a child” in order to enter the Kingdom of Heaven (Luke 18:17), but He also pointed believers to the care of actual children as non-negotiable duties of devotion to Him. Orphan Sunday reminds us of this both / and from the Lord…
“Whoever welcomes one such child in my name, welcomes me.”
(Matthew 18:5)
14 What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but do not have works? Can faith save you? 15 If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill,” and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that? 17 So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.
(James 2:14 – 17)
“If any of you put a stumbling block before one of these little ones who believe in me, it would be better for you if a great millstone were fastened around your neck and you were drowned in the depth of the sea.”
(Matthew 18:6)
“Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.”
(Matthew 25:40b)
Mother Teresa’s words apply emphatically to children in desperate need; they are truly, “Christ in dreadful disguise.” And the Church all over the world, rallying to love and serve the Lord in those precious little ones, makes Orphan Sunday a conduit through which God’s miraculous power can pour.
Third, the personal heart-check. Orphan Sunday serves as a reminder to all adult Christians that without Jesus we, too, are orphaned children. Orphan Sunday restores to us appreciation of the miracle of belonging that Jesus gives us in His love.
Some of us come from Christian homes and still get to enjoy time with earthly parents whose love points us to God. Some of us have buried earthly parents and anticipate an eventual reunion in Heaven. Some of us have stories that bear no resemblance to happy circumstances like these.
But regardless of our earthly family reality, we can only claim an eternal family through the adoptive grace of our Father thanks to the redemptive blood of Christ the Son.
Sin had separated us – sin had orphaned us – and Jesus came to ransom and rescue us for membership in His family. May we NEVER let go of the awe and wonder of that fact!
How vividly I recall faces of the children I met in an orphanage in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia… beautiful faces of children hoping to be adopted. Those young eyes communicated volumes about the burden of waiting in agonized anticipation of being chosen – cherished – claimed – by someone. By anyone.
Without Jesus, that is our reality. Without Jesus, we are trapped in an orphanage – lacking the necessary papers, the necessary resources, the skills and education to rescue ourselves. Without Jesus, we are left in agonized anticipation of being chosen – cherished – claimed – by someone. By anyone.
But, Jesus!
Jesus came for us. Jesus paid the price for us to be with the Father – a price we cannot ever truly calculate, because we lack the capacity to imagine pain of the magnitude Jesus endured on our behalf.
Jesus fetched us out of the squalor and deprivation and lonely misery in which we were confined, and freed us to live with Him… now… and forever.
I NEED Orphan Sunday to remind me that I am NOT an orphan anymore, thanks to Jesus!
Thanks to Jesus, I belong to the Father who will never leave me nor forsake me – the Father who keeps ALL His promises – the Father whose house has many rooms, including one prepared for me. For me! Praise the Lord.
Here’s an invitation for you:
If your church celebrates Orphan Sunday, choose to take a new step this year in support of little ones who lack parents.
If your church doesn’t celebrate Orphan Sunday, find out why… and make a case to your pastors to celebrate it next year. Feel free to use this article to make your case.
Remember, Friends – we are His. And because we are His, we are appointed by Him to be sure that our families and priorities reflect His heart. Not just on Orphan Sunday!
12 But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God.
(John 1:12 – 13)
Read on for a list of organizations for which I can personally vouch as vehicles of advocacy and provision to orphans.
Buckner International: Training for foster parents and adoptive parents. Shoe drives for needy children overseas. A legacy of Christ-centered love since 1879. https://www.buckner.org/
CASA: Court Appointed Special Advocates. County-specific volunteer organization that matches caring adults with children in the foster care system to act as advocates for each child. https://nationalcasagal.org/
Compassion: International child sponsorship organization. A monthly contribution supplies food, medical care, and education for a needy child with whom the sponsor can correspond. (Our family currently sponsors five different children through Compassion – what an incredible thing to get to love kids all over the world, by name!) https://www.compassion.com/
His Little Feet: Travelling choir comprised of orphans from third world countries who act as ambassadors for their peers while receiving leadership training to benefit their home communities. We LOVE to host His Little Feet… and it’s easy to get involved in their work. (See my “Missions” page for more info.) https://hislittlefeet.org/
Show Hope: Adoption aid from Steven Curtis Chapman and his family, as well as support for orphans in China. Mark and I travelled to Ethiopia to fetch our baby girl home thanks to a Show Hope travel grant. https://showhope.org/our-work/adoption-aid/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIy8GOnrP_8wIVGm-GCh3z6Qr6EAAYASAAEgKMu_D_BwE
