Reason two: Because vulnerable children occupy a significant place in the biblical narrative

From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible tells a big story (the big story) of God’s purposes to restore the whole of creation to himself. This is the story in which we find ourselves, encompassing the past, present and future of the Church.

In a previous post I noted the characteristic of vulnerability in this grand narrative. Let’s think about just some of the examples:

• Consider the plight of the outcast baby Ishmael in Genesis 21 whom God sees, protects and enables to flourish;
• Consider the helpless baby Moses in Exodus 2, floating on the Nile in his basket, who went on to lead God’s people out of slavery;
• Consider the unnamed (trafficked) servant girl in 2 Kings 5 whose wisdom puts Kings and Generals to shame;
• Consider the fatherless children whom Job protected and nurtured, who ‘grew up with me as with a father’ (Job 31:18);
• Consider Jesus himself. What could be more vulnerable than a child born in his circumstances? The God of the universe chose the vulnerability of an embryo inside a young girl to enter the stage of history as a human being. Born into hardship and suspicion. On the run at an early age with his family, fleeing for his life (Matthew 1-2).

The biblical ‘norm’ is for God’s purposes to be fulfilled in and through vulnerability. These are the embedded traits of the biblical narrative, of the Church’s story. What could be more natural, then, than for Christians in the UK to recognise and resonate with the vulnerability we see and experience in society and to be involved in (and support those involved in) fostering and adoption?

Read part one of the series: Because of who God is