Faith Formation Begins at Home

II. The Creed

 
As the head of the family should teach it in a simple way to his household.

(http://bookofconcord.org/smallcatechism.php)

 

I almost went to the first article of the Apostle's Creed for today's blog. But, then I remembered that I have a week-long confirmation class coming up next month. I will be teaching the Apostle's Creed again this year; but, not to youth who have no prior knowledge as to what it means. No, I am not under the impression that they have already learned what it means at home. Those youth who have faithfully attended worship at Zion already know the Apostle's Creed. Those children who have attended Sunday School faithfully have already been taught the Apostle's Creed and what it means by their fifth/sixth grade Sunday School teacher.

 

Martin Luther wrote the Small Catechism so that parents, particularly the heads of the household, would have a simple resource to use to teach their children. Today, most congregations expect their Pastors to teach the older youth these things. 

 

I am most grateful that at Zion, since our youth have such full schedules, that we have a Sunday School Superintendent and teachers who begin this education process at age 3, when during Lent, the Small Catechism is taught. During the rest of the year, they simply use the Holy Bible as their main resource. We believe that what we believe should be taught at an early age. One should not wait until they are in Jr. High to try to cram their memories full in a couple of years. Learning is a process. It does not magically happen overnight. Since we began this curriculum a few years ago, it has been an amazing experience working with confirmands who already have a knowledge base for the faith that they are preparing to profess and that we can build upon.

 

It is most helpful to our young people's faith formation if the learning begins at home. I am more than happy to provide our members with copies of the Small Catechism or you can go to the link above for an online version. When a positive faith formation process is not in place at home; then, it would be a very good idea to bring your children to the place where it can happen - to your local congregation.

Faith formation should not be started when a child turns 11 or 12. It begins at birth. It begins at home.

 

God's Peace - Pr. J

Col 2:16-23 Angels

Colossians 2:16-23 NIV
St. Paul wrote:  "Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you." (vs 18) So what about angels? Every now and then I am jolted by the reality that someone I know depends on angels more than they depend on Jesus.

Just because something or someone exists in the spiritual realms does not mean that we should worship them or put our trust in them. We do not worship the creature. Rather, we ought to worship and put our trust in the one who has charge over the spiritual realms; the one who created the spiritual realms; the one who created all things.

Angels have many purposes. Some are messengers. Some have been deliverers of God judgment. Some are ministering spirits. Angels ministered to Jesus after his temptations by the devil in the wilderness. Angels are beings created by God to serve according to God's will.

We are not to worship angels. We cannot serve two gods. Angels did not create you. They, themselves, are created beings. Angels did not die for you. Jesus did. By worshipping and honoring angels; by lifting them up more than we lift us Christ, we lose the connection we have with the head, from whom the whole body grows, who is Jesus the Christ. We are to worship the one who has charge over angels and not the angels.

God's Peace - Pr. J

1 Corinth 11:1-16 Long or Short Hair?

1 Corinithians 11:1-16 NIV
Here is a very confusing reading. It has been and continues to be debated as to what it actually means. Should men wear short hair and women long? St. Paul asks: "Does not the very nature of things teach you that if a man has a long hair, it is a disgrace to him, but that if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For long hair is given as her covering."

First off, I'm thinking that most men in Jesus' day wore their hair a bit longer than many today. so what does Paul mean? Is there a length that he considers too long? Is there a length for women's hair that is too short? It is also difficult for me to grasp whether this is from God or Paul for the sake of respect toward local customs. After all, there is the Nazirite vow to consider. Those who made this vow were/are not allowed to cut their hair, as in the case of Samson. Numbers 6:5 says: “During the entire period of their Nazirite vow, no razor may be used on their head. They must be holy until the period of their dedication to the Lord is over; they must let their hair grow long." In Leviticus (19:26-27) we read:  “Do not cut the hair at the sides of your head or clip off the edges of your beard."

I think that it is important to note that this Paul's discourse on the hair comes immediately following Paul's exhortation to be all things to all people and not to do things that might cause weaker consciences to stumble and fall. It comes in the midst of Paul's exhortations to not do anything that would bring division. Were the Corinthians resorting to arguing about the length of hair others should have rather than sharing the gospel? Is Paul attempting to stop divisions that are brought about by personal customs on length of hair so that they would focus on the more important things; you know, like the gospel? If so, he appears to have possibly made the length of hair even more divisive, as we sometimes still waste time debating it today.

As for me and my weaker conscience, I wear long hair. I don't have much time in my life for that type of vanity. I don't have and am unwilling to give up precious time to groom my hair so that it conforms to the way people around me might think the hair of a woman of my advancing age be. I am not going to a beauty parlor every couple of weeks for a trim or dye. Gray is good. Usually, when people suggest I should cut it my response is something like "Actually I was thinking about natural dreadlocks. It would only take a few days for this mess." After comments like that my family usually says nothing more about my hair for awhile. I think they may fear that I would do it.

Whether we wear our hair long or short makes little difference to our salvation. We are saved by faith alone. As for women wearing a head covering, I confess, I take comfort in Paul's words: "...if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For long hair is given to her as a covering. If anyone wants to be contentious about this, we have no other practice—nor do the churches of God." (vs 15, 16)

Have a blessed day...

God's Peace - Pr. J

Mark 14:1-11 - Get Rid of Him; Betray Him

Mark 14:1-11 NIV
Get rid of them! Yep! That's what you do if you don't like the way someone is or does something. Get rid of them!

Not every who was present when the woman anointed Jesus' head with expensive perfume appreciated Jesus' allowing her to do that. What a waste of money! Judas, as the treasurer, was especially not happy about it. So what did Judas do? He plotted to get rid of him. Jesus did not act or do exactly like Judas thought he ought to be behaving so he went behind Jesus' back and betrayed him.

How often we see this happen! When those whom we have entrusted with leadership positions in the church or community make choices that we would not make, how often are their plots to be rid of them? From what I hear and see, it happens more often than we'd like to think. Don't like what the Pastor or Council or other leaders in the church do because it's not exactly like we want it and we plot to be rid of them.

Jesus did not usually act like society would expect him to. What makes people think that his followers; his servants would act like society expects them to?

Jesus was pretty generous in accepting people as they were and are. I often hear that he was not judgmental. But, how judgmental are we when we refuse to accept Jesus and his followers as they are?

God's Peace - Pr. J