Make [my way] known to your children and your children's children [...] Keep these words that I am commanding you today in your heart. Recite them to your children and talk about them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you rise. (Deuteronomy 4:9, 6:6-7)

Some Sunday mornings, when you enter the fellowship during the Christian Education hour, you'll encounter organized chaos. People are talking, crafts are being created, and games are being played--the Confirmation class is upstairs. Once a month parents meet with their children and once a month mentors meet with the students. Fourteen 7th and 8th graders and their teachers, and parents, and mentors, create quite a bit of noise when they get together! Why would we want to create this kind of holy chaos? Why have parents meet with their children during Confirmation class?

I firmly believe that most parents want to pass the faith along to their children. Parents of grown children sometimes share how painful it is when their children do not actively practice the faith. Yet, I also think that most parents are at a loss when it comes to actually trying to pass on the faith to their children.

In the scripture passage from Deuteronomy, we see that one way of passing on the faith is talking about it. Day and night. At home and away. Waking and sleeping. Unfortunately, we sometimes barely have language to talk about the faith with other people. And so, we need to practice telling the story. We need to practice praying, giving, learning, and reading Scripture. We practice it here in Christian community where we can support one another, so that we can try those ways of passing on the faith at home.

O God, giver of life, we thank you for opportunities to pass on the faith to our children. Inspire us; make us creative and persistent in telling others about your goodness and mercy. Amen

Contributed by Pastor Becky
Monday February 9, 2015
Liturgical Year B: Week 11
Liturgical Color: Green
Sunday Gospel reading: Epiphany5
Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany