Jesus' Adoption Story

Each year at Christmas time we bring out the nativity set and talk about the birth of Jesus. We have one made of plastic, another made of porcelain, and a third made of wood that came from Haiti.

The younger children are always fascinated with the figurines and especially the baby Jesus. They ask questions about Mary's pregnancy and delivery.

These teaching moments give us an opportunity to talk about adoption as we explain how Jesus was adopted by Joseph. Both Matthew and Luke put Jesus in Joseph's line when presenting his genealogy even though he was not Joseph's biological son. What a powerful endorsement of adoption!

We know it's important to talk with our children about God's purpose in adoption. Sometime kids struggle with understanding who they are and where they've come from. They might feel like their story is different from everyone else. Our adopted children always light up when we remind them that Jesus may have felt that way too, and it's okay, because God the Father provided for his Son through adoption.