Teaching Our Children

AM Psalm 55 • PM Psalm 138, 139:1-17(18-23)
Deut. 11:18-28 • Heb. 5:1-10 • John 4:1-26

I enjoy listening to the popular podcast On Being with Krista Tippett, as I am sure some of you readers do as well. She often opens her interviews with a prompt like: “Tell me about the spiritual background of your childhood.” It is always interesting to hear her guests share about the religious life of their family of origin and how those practices shape their adult belief and practices today. I wonder how you might answer that question? How would you describe the faith of your youth? How did your caregivers shape your religious life even to this day?

Our lesson from Deuteronomy today opens with a directive on how to pass down our faith from generation to generation. The message is clear our faith is shaped by the practices and intentional sharing of belief in families and communities. The more it is “in the water” the more the next generation drinks it up. The writer tells us to make it a part of everything we do and to surround ourselves with articles of our faith so that we can do nothing without remembering who and whose we are. What does this look like in your own life? How do you make your religious life present in your whole life?

We are responsible for keeping a long lineage of faith alive, of assuring it makes it to the next generation. Whether you have children of your own or not you are a member of an intergenerational community at our church. What ways do you, or might you imagine you could, teach the words of God to our children?

Written by Samantha Clare

Samantha looks for Good News every day.