By David A. deSilva
In order to pass something on, you must have it yourself. Do you know what God has done for you in Jesus? Do you know it not just as a history lesson, but as a personal experience? Do you know not only the story of how God saved us in Jesus, but how you have become connected to that story in your own life? This passage from Deuteronomy beckons us to a deeper walk with God, to searching out the meaning of our own redemption and the nature of the new life which God's Holy Spirit makes available to us.
We can only pass on what we have ourselves attained. If we do not know the power of the Spirit in our lives, how can we hope to pass on that inheritance to our children? If we do not know how to discern God's leading, how can we teach our children to value and listen for the voice of God? The good news is that, if you have not vet discovered the riches of your own birthright, you can still discover it with your children as you pray, read, and talk together.
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Miriam, reminding her children to keep faith with God, was praised for "giving rebirth for immortality to the whole number of her children." The gift of life is, of course, a great gift given by parents to their children, but our task as parents does not end with the nurture of this life. Miriam and Zerah worked toward the rebirth of their children to the eternal by spending time with them daily in conversation about God and teaching them the lessons of the Scriptures. Because of this upbringing, nothing could make them break faith and abandon God's promises. Do we desire to give our own children not only birth, but second births?
If you have never had natural children, or have already seen them grow up and leave home, you still have many children in Christ. How have we kept faith with our promises at their baptisms? How have we participated in their rebirth for immortality? And what on earth could be more important than doing this very thing?
Husbands and wives, brothers and sisters in Christ, talk about this with one another today. Ask one another how you are preparing your natural children, and all the children God has entrusted to our care, to fight the contest for their faith. Will they be ready to face and overcome moral dilemmas, loss of a job, sickness, or death? Will they live out their lives with purpose and integrity, contributing to the solution of life's ills? Will they honor the Source and Giver of their lives through how they use the gift of each day's life? Ask one another how you are assuring that they will take hold of their birthright in Christ, namely the gift of God's friendship, the Spirit's guidance, and the new life to which Jesus calls us. And may God, whose sons and daughters are entrusted to us, stir up our hearts to care for all God's children!
I am grateful to my colleague, Marvin McMickle, for our conversations about the art of preaching and especially for his helpful suggestions as I framed this sermon.
