Pastor Joe

Pastor Joe of Del Rio Bible Church is a very passionate little man. I always look forward to going to church because I know that, any time he speaks, he is guaranteed to wander off-topic and say something that is completely random, but bitingly honest. Most people get frustrated with his long-winded and rambling sermons, but I find that - no matter how lacking his organization skills are - I always walk away with something meaningful to think about.

Today, we discussed Luke 2:21-40 (which was a huge relief for the regulars because we've been studying Genesis every week for the last 7 months). Pastor Joe said that he chose this scripture because he thinks it is wrong that everyone reads Luke 2 at Christmas but always stop at verse 20. The second half of the book details what happened in the months after Jesus was born - namely the story of Mary and Joseph taking him into the temple to make a sacrifice and dedicate him to the Lord.

Up until this point in the sermon, Pastor Joe had been fairly good about simply expositing on the text. But, this part in the story reminded him of one of his greatest passions, and he couldn't help but pause and talk for several minutes about the importance of actively educating your kids about what it means to be a Christian and making sure you bring them up right. I guess his wife is a teacher so education and parental responsibility are big concerns of his. We've heard him make many a spirited speech about how our culture is going down the toilet because parents refuse to discipline their kids...

Anyway, he said something today that I thought was very interesting. He believes that the purification ceremony that followed the birth of a child in those days kind of served as a reminder for each parent that the child will have to pay the penalty for sin if they do not create a relationship with God. They recognized the fact that we are born as sinful beings who are in need of salvation - something most modern parents seem to have forgotten. People in our culture seem to think that children are innocent little angels and should be allowed to grow and find their own way without the restriction and frustration that results from being disciplined. Of course, that's a terrible idea, and we see the results of this flawed parenting philosophy every day on TV. Kids are spoiled, shallow and rebellious - and very few of them make any effort to maintain their faith after they leave home and have the freedom to make their own choices. My college staff worker said he read somewhere that 85% of young Christians walk away from the church when they are in college!!

The main point is - people do not become Christians through heredity. Just because you are a Christian doesn't mean your kids will be. It is supremely important to try to teach them about Christ and influence them as they grow in their faith! As Pastor Joe said, if your children do not actually see you living what you preach, they will not accept your Savior.

I wish more people took the time to invest in their kids these days. If they did, the world would be a much better place. I know it's uncomfortable for parents to talk about something deeply personal with their kids...but that's really unfortunate. Kids need to get this information from somewhere. If you don't talk to your kids and teach them the important things about life, they will figure it out somehow - and you may not like the conclusions they reach.

I am so glad that James and I have been hearing talks like this because it should come in handy when/if we become parents. I don't even know where to begin when it comes to having meaningful talks with little kids...but at least James and I have made a commitment to really try to communicate with our kids about everything. I don't think either of us had enough deep and honest conversations with our parents and we both really regret that now. Luckily, we both turned out pretty well. God really can work in any situation.