The cry of my heart and the work of my life has become to give voice to children and families experiencing foster care. 

I am a biological, foster and adoptive mama and God has shaped our family in unexpected ways along this journey, as we’ve had the privilege of caring for children for a chapter in their stories and they’ve been able to reunify with their biological families, and as we’ve had the privilege of adopting our two youngest children! 

Through all of this, God has broken our hearts wide open for the kids in foster care in our neighbourhoods in need of loving homes, and I want to invite you to be a part of what He is doing, but I want to start by digging into a very familiar but challenging passage in the Bible as we consider what it might look like to join God in his work in the world on behalf of our most vulnerable neighbours. 

The story of the Good Samaritan is couched in the Gospel of Luke, one of the four biographies of the life of Jesus that is known as the Gospel for the Outcast. All throughout the book of Luke, we see the special love and focus that Jesus has on people who others considered to be of little to no worth, going out of His way to show them their value; His mission being to seek out and to save those who are lost. 

One day an expert in the law stood up to test Him. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” “What is written in the Law?” Jesus replied. “How do you read it?” He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’ and ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’” “You have answered correctly,” Jesus said. “Do this and you will live.” Luke 10: 25-28

Throughout the life of Jesus, we see people trying to corner him, trying to trip him up, or trap him with tough questions. And here we see a conversation between an expert on the Law (Torah – The Jewish Scriptures) and Jesus. So basically, Jesus and the Bible Answer Man. 

This young man is asking a question he already knows the answer to, and his goal is to make Jesus say something he shouldn’t. And so, Jesus engages, and rather than answering, he says, “What do you think? How do you read the Law? What do you see?” 

“Love God with everything and Love neighbour as yourself!”

Jesus acknowledges that this is correct; do this and you will live, you will thrive. This is how you were made to live!

Conversation over. End of story.

But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbour?” Luke 10: 29

The Message translates it this way: Looking for a loophole, he asked, “And just how would you define ‘neighbour’?” 

He wanted to know just how far Jesus meant for him to go in “loving neighbour.” What do I need to do? Who is worthy of my love? Who is worthy of my time? How can I check this command off my list and get back to doing what I want to do? (We do this too, don’t we.)

And as Jesus so often does, he answers a question by telling a story; one of the most widely known of all stories in Scripture.

Jesus took up this question and said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him, beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down the same road, but when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. So too, when a Levite came to that spot and saw him, he passed by on the other side. But when a Samaritan on a journey came upon him, he looked at him and had compassion. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Take care of him,’ he said, ‘and on my return I will repay you for any additional expense.’ Which of these three do you think was a neighbour to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” ”The one who showed him mercy,” replied the expert in the law. Then Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.” Luke 10: 30-37

I’d like to invite you to picture this man badly beaten, lying there dying–stripped, beaten, left half dead. 

And Jesus begins to describe people who enter the story. First a priest! And the hearer is thinking, oh good! Someone to come help the man. 

This priest, most likely on his way home from a religious meeting (Jericho was known for its wealth and also as a community where priests lived, so the fact that Jesus refers to this specific pathway to Jericho is significant; this road is also known for being perilous, a danger zone, a road you’d avoid after dark) sees the suffering, half dead man and moves away from the need – across the road to the other side (just a note, this is a sharp contrast to Jesus who was notorious for moving toward the hurting and broken, a theme all through this book). It could potentially cost the priest precious time to be in proximity to a dead man – the purification period (for him to be able to in community again) would be at least a week, precious time he didn’t have. Perhaps he considered the cost and it was too high. 

Then comes the Levite (this is someone who works at the temple; someone on staff at church), who appears to consider the need and decides for whatever reason, it’s not his problem, and then he too crosses on the other side. Perhaps there is fear that the perpetrators are still nearby, that he too might become endangered by helping this man. 

So, both the priest and the Levite, the religious leaders, opt out. “It’s not my problem.” Do you ever hear yourself saying that? I sure do. 

And now Jesus introduces the hero of the story.

But when a Samaritan on a journey came upon him, he looked at him and had compassion. Luke 10: 33

It’s hard to over-emphasize how scandalous it is that Jesus introduces a Samaritan as the hero of the story. There is visceral hatred between Jews and Samaritans. In contrast to two folks who’d be highly respected in this context (the priest and Levite). Jesus picks the most unlikely of people, the most unlikely character, to be the hero.

In John 8:48 the religious leaders are so upset with Jesus that they call him a Samaritan and a devil – two of the worst insults they could throw at him. Remember this whole exchange started with a question from an expert in Jewish law who would assume that Samaritans were definitely not inheriting eternal life. They were for sure outside the blessing of eternal life, so it is such a profound twist that Jesus would elevate this Samaritan. 

Because we live in the context of cancel culture, I think we might understand a little bit more experientially the way the original, first century hearers would have received the story. Think of a group of people whom you have a hard time respecting or understanding, that person in your circle with the FB or IG rants, who you can’t believe voted the way they did, or picketed where they did, or can “call themselves a Christian and still believe x, y, z.” Can you picture a person or a group of people who you think are wrong? They don’t understand God or the Bible or what truth is. They are missing the point, off their rocker, don’t really get it. This is the hero of the story. This is the Samaritan. This is mind blowing, jaw dropping, and everyone is just left scratching their heads in wonder at Jesus who continually turned everything upside down. And when we walk with Jesus, we see things differently too. 

The text says that this Samaritan man, when coming up to the dying man, “looked at him”. The others saw but immediately diverted their eyes, immediately tried to “un-see,” but the hero of this story was moved by compassion. 

Notice that his compassion was an invitation into action and he moved toward the one in need. It was not compassion that says, “Oh how sad! Someone should do something about that! Someone should help him!”

The compassion Jesus describes and invites us into will cost us something.

This was clearly an interruption to this man’s schedule, to his time. He is on the road to somewhere, like we all are, and he is interrupted by the pain of someone else in his proximity and he is able to help. So he welcomes his compassion as an invitation into action. He is willing to be interrupted! Willing to be inconvenienced in order to comfort someone in greater need. Jesus viewed interruptions as invitations.

To be honest, fostering is all about being willing to be interrupted. In fact, much like the priest and Levite in this story, I was on my way to speak and lead a Women’s Conference on a Fall afternoon a few years ago. Right before I arrived at camp, I received a phone call. There was a baby boy, let’s call him Noah, who was ready to be released from the hospital. Because there were drugs found in little Noah’s body at birth, he was immediately separated from his mother and entered foster care. Having made his home in her body for nearly nine months, she was not a safe person to go home with at this point in her story and so he was taken from her arms. The Social Worker needed to identify a foster family to welcome this little one in the most precarious and vulnerable moments of his brand new life. Would we open our arms and our hearts to him while his mama was getting the support she would need to be able to be reunified with her beloved baby boy? Like Jason Johnson says, “There’s never really a perfect time to foster or adopt; just a lot of opportunities to say yes despite the many reasons you may have to say no.”

I remember thinking I had a choice. Although we were waiting for a call, we didn’t have to say yes. It didn’t really make a lot of sense for me to re-route my weekend plans, but I recall a profound sense from the Holy Spirit that I needed to go to this little boy. He needed me more than the hundreds of women at this conference. They would be well taken care of, but who would welcome this little one?

After a quick phone call to my husband, and a bit of a longer conversation with my ministry partner who I left stranded at the conference, we said yes, and I turned back around to head to the hospital to pick up this precious baby boy who we had the privilege of parenting for the first five months of his life.

I will tell you a little bit more of Noah in a moment, but let’s look again at the story in Luke. Notice the posture that Jesus highlights in sharing the hero’s actions.

Jesus always enlarges and expands what it means to follow God.

Remember this Bible expert is trying to have a theological conversation about “inheriting eternal life,” trying to find the “right answer” and Jesus was like, let me tell you what love looks like in action. Let me give you a picture of this very well known invitation to “love your neighbour.” Here is what it really looks like.

First, the text says (in verses 34-35): He went to him (In contrast to the others who saw the person in need and looked the other way, etc. etc.) This communicates: You are not alone – I see your suffering and will be with you in it.

Then we see the hero bandaging this man’s wounds, pouring on oil and wine – He touches the man, not afraid to get close and to get this man’s brokenness up on him – picture the scene of someone with bloody clothes and hands because they have simply helped someone who is suffering. This communicates: Your pain doesn’t repel me – I am not afraid of your brokenness.

Then he puts him on his own animal. This communicates: Your suffering matters – I will carry it by taking responsibility to help relieve your pain.

Then we see that he took care of him, nursed him through the night. This communicates: You are worth my time – I will sacrifice my time tending to your needs.

We see the hero give money to the inn keeper in order to care for him. This communicates: You are worth my money – I will invest money to ensure you are cared for.

The Samaritan is willing to say yes, not knowing where it would lead. And Jesus says this is the embodiment of a true neighbour – the kind of neighbour Jesus invites us to be through his words, “Now go and do the same.”

Noah’s story is one that represents the children in our community who, every week, are being removed from their parents due to allegations of abuse and neglect. Where will they go? Who will welcome them? Who will see them and move toward them in love? Who will speak life and blessing and pray over their parents? 

What if God is inviting you to open your arms to a child in foster care, whether that child is a baby, a teenager, siblings in elementary school, or a pregnant teen mama? 

Noah’s life started, right off the bat, with the odds stacked against him. Perhaps some of you are aware of the incredibly jarring reality that children who experience foster care are more likely to struggle with addiction, homelessness, or get into trouble with the law. They are heartbreakingly vulnerable to being trafficked and sexually exploited because pimps see the foster care system as a pipeline for recruitment. This is how Noah’s little life began. But there is so much hope for a different story. 

Every number has a name. Every name has a story. Every story matters to God. 

Little Noah was with us for five months. Sadly his mama was not able to parent him, but he had a loving aunt and uncle who welcomed him into their family. He is an amazing little boy, almost 10 years old and thriving. Handing him into the arms of his aunt was every bit as heartbreaking as you might imagine. Saying goodbye after loving him; I wailed when he left, but it was so worth it. To be a safe place, a part of the redemptive story God is longing to write as we, His children, live our lives with arms wide open.

“If I am afraid so a child feels safe; if I cry so a child learns to smile; if I give myself so a child learns to receive; if I die a little inside so a child comes to know the One who died, then it’s all worth it.” Jamie Finn, Foster the Family

Like the Good Samaritan, and like Jesus modelled again and again, we are invited to move toward our most vulnerable neighbours in sacrificial love. 

There are many ways that God might be calling you to love. A couple of ways you can respond specifically to the invitation into the lives of kids experiencing foster care…

We need more families to step into fostering. Please know that when I say foster “family”, I mean anyone who says yes to welcoming a child into their safe and loving home. This can be someone who is single and maybe has never been a parent, someone who is an empty-nester and has lots of experience with raising children, or a young family with an energetic home. There is no “one size fits all” for what a foster family looks like or the kind of love and support it can provide. 

We also need people to wrap around these foster families with practical, emotional and spiritual support. Fostering is challenging and nationwide many are leaving the system (while fewer are signing up). But this is the power of a support team! Can you help share the burden and the joy of the fostering journey? Can you bring a meal once or twice a month? Can you help with transportation? Can you pray? Can you send encouraging texts? Can you build bunkbeds and put together IKEA dressers? 

(Check out the Wrap-around Team material to explore this further). 

As a foster carer myself, I get calls nearly every day for kids needing families. Just two weeks ago, I was preparing to speak at a church, and I got a call for a seven-year-old little girl needing a family to welcome her. A few minutes later, as my husband was making dinner and playing some worship music, the song “Good Good Father” came on and I just lost it. Oh, that this precious little girl would know the love of our good, good father. And I just began crying out – Oh Father! Awaken your people! Awaken your bride, your church to love these precious ones, to welcome them in your name! 

Help them cross the street and move toward our most vulnerable neighbours. Help them say to these precious children, to communicate to them: 

You are not alone; Your pain doesn’t repel me; Your suffering matters to me. You are worthy of my time and my money. I will invest my resources to see that you are lovingly cared for. I will inconvenience myself to be a part of binding up your broken heart by the power of the Holy Spirit. 

Are you willing to be re-routed by the interruptions of Jesus? 

If we are honest, all of us have been the one lying broken on the side of the rode, and Jesus is the Good Samaritan. Jesus has seen us in our own suffering and he has moved toward us, sacrificing everything that we might know His love. We love because He first loved us! How is He inviting you to share with others the love that has ravished your heart? 

“There is a call on your life, and it’s not to be comfortable. To love will always be risky.” Julie Mavis, Co-Founder of America’s Belong.

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If you are moved with compassion when you think about these children and teenagers in foster care, we’d love to invite you to simply take a next step. Explore the information, resources and stories on this website, check out Foster Care: First Steps, or contact us at hello@homewardproject.org. 

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This post is based on a sermon shared by Christine Ingebretson and provided by our friends at Foster The City, who are equipping churches to provide loving homes for children in foster care in California and beyond.