For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named. Ephesians 3:14-15
This week was the 21st convention of the Missouri District of the LCMS. The theme was “Tell the Next Generation”. One of the main points of this topic was that parents are the primary Christian educators in the church.
This is fitting as we approach Father’s Day this Sunday. Martin Luther envisioned children gathering around their father and the Small Catechism being trained up in the things of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit each day in the Creed, learning the Commandments, the Lord’s Prayer, the Sacraments; teaching the Psalms and hymns so their children know them by heart.
Many dads teach their kids how to work and support themselves in life. They teach them how to have fun, to fish, to drive a four-wheeler, to play sports. This is all fine and good. Fathers should do these things. But how many dads accept the awesome mission to be spiritual leaders for their children?
As parents embrace their role as Christian educators, it is vitally important that the church family be a place where families are strengthened, encouraged, and equipped. As fellow members of the body of Christ we all have the responsibility to encourage parents, and to model the importance of being in God’s house to receive His gifts of forgiveness, life, and salvation.
May God continue to strengthen our families and our church family at Grace so that together we can grow in the knowledge of Christ and the forgiveness, life, and salvation that He alone gives!
Grace Lutheran Church 