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Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from him.
-Psalm 127:3 NIV
Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.
-Proverbs 22:6 NIV
These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you lie down and when you get up. -Deuteronomy 6:6-7 NIV
Today I want to talk about raising children. I know what you're thinking... Heidi doesn't have any children... what does she know??? You're absolutely right, I have no personal experience raising a child, and cats don't count. Many of you reading this have years of experience doing what I have not done. However, I vividly remember my own childhood and first stages of my faith journey, and those adults who influenced me during those years.
Mr. Schmidt taught me everything I know about Martin Luther. (Remember I was raised Lutheran!) One entire year of Sunday School curriculum was devoted to Martin Luther's life, and everyone in my class wanted to be somewhere else. But year after year, Mr. Schmidt gave his time and teaching skills to all of us kids, hoping something would stick! Mrs. Reid was another Sunday School teacher and my confirmation mentor. She told me in no uncertain terms that she prayed for me every day, and I could feel her prayers, and I had absolutely no doubt that God answered her prayers regularly! She was also the loudest singer in the congregation, and her faith could be heard by everyone!! Mrs. Kitzmann led the children's choir, and gave me my first big break accompanying the choir while still being of age to sing in it! And when the youth choir disbanded while I was in high school, Mrs. Zehnder (the organist and adult choir director) gave me the opportunity to attend rehearsals and sing in worship as a member of the adult choir. The support I received from these people forever changed my life and helped me become who I am today.
All of us in the church, whether we have children of our own or not, are part of this family of faith, and all of us have a part in sharing in the lives and formation of the children who walk through JCPC's doors. They may not always be visible in worship, but we have a LOT of children walking through JCPC... preschool children... AFA students... Scouts of all ages...
February 6th is Scout Sunday. February 13th is Youth Sunday. For the next two Sundays, we have a unique chance to worship with these specific groups of our children, show our support for them, and consider how we can help them on their journey. If you want to know how you can join in support of these groups of young people, come to worship and ask an adult wearing a scout uniform (this Sunday) or ask Brian how you can support the youth! There are many ways to do it!
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