2013 ELS Convention Essay “Engaging Families with Jesus”

When the wonderful knowledge of Christ touches the heart, there is a new Spirit-driven impulse awakened toward our loved ones. Our children are the most precious earthly gifts we have. The Gospel brings with it the power to produce its own evangelists.
The central purpose of Biblical instruction is not to have strong marriages and morally upright children; our focus must remain on the work of Christ to redeem us from sin and death.
The Christian home is heaven’s little embassy. The Christian home serves God as the primary place for passing on the Gospel. Where families embrace Christ and His Word, these homes will also become Gospel outreach centers in the community.
God frequently uses images of family to depict our relationship with Him. God is our “Father,” Christ is our “Brother.” Through Baptism, we are the “Bride of Christ” and “children of God.”
Christian parents are engaged in the highest heavenly work and need to understand the extreme importance of their roles. Parents are the very representatives of God in the lives of their children. Ancient Jews saw children as a great blessing and teaching them about God as a high duty. The synagogues had numerous rituals and traditions connected with various stages of a child’s education. A Jewish child’s identity came from one’s relationship to the religious community and the established traditions of the faith. Young Timothy benefited from the religious training of his mother Eunice and grandmother Lois (2 Timothy 1:5).
Through His institution of marriage, God intends the Christian home to provide the foundational footings for heaven’s earthly embassy. The early patriarchs were concerned about their children marrying others who believed in the Messiah. While Esau grieved his parents by marrying pagan Hittite women (Genesis 26:34–35), Jacob was told to find a wife from the house of Bethuel (Genesis 28:1–2).
Many children have been turned from Christ by a parent’s poor choice of an unbelieving mate. Teenagers need to be instructed to think about the faith of their future children. Norwegian Bishop Nils Laache wrote, “The devil knows that when he spoils marriage, he undermines all order of society and makes us like Sodom and Gomorrah” (Book of Family Prayer, Luth. Synod Book Co., 2000, p. 117). Even where one spouse is an unbeliever, God instructs the believing spouse to remain married in order that he or she may teach their spouse and children God’s Word.
Christian fathers play an important role in Christian education. Fathers who despise God and His Word may bring God’s wrath upon the “third and fourth generation of those who hate [Him]” (Exodus 20:5). This is why Martin Luther wrote, “No one should become a father unless he is able to instruct his children in the Ten Commandments and in the Gospel.” A 1994 study in Sweden about the role of fathers concluded, “In short, if a father does not go to church, no matter how faithful his wife’s devotion, only one child in 50 will become a regular worshiper” (Touchstone, June 2003). Americans have generally lost respect for the office of fatherhood; this brings great negative consequences for society and for the church.
Christian mothers are blessed with the gift of touching the deep emotional aspects of a child’s spiritual life. Proverbs contains many passages addressing the important role of mothers (see Proverbs 12:8–9 and 6:20–22). The New Testament takes note of believing mothers: Mary the mother of John Mark; Eunice, Timothy’s mother; Salome, the mother of James and John. Christian mothers have daily contact with their children, have practical applications of Biblical truths, and foster devotional life. Sometimes a mother does not have the spiritual support of her husband or raises children alone. She needs to be encouraged to keep her children loving Christ.
Grandparents can provide tremendous support and encouragement to their grandchildren with regard to their faith. They can offer spiritual wisdom and direction to parents. Single Christians and married couples without children also have a role in Christian education. They may have the time to be teachers and leaders in the congregation, to pray for others, and to support parents in their work. The congregation also has an impact on the Christian family that engages children with Christ. Supporting a Christian school builds on the Christian instruction in the home.
One corrosive danger to Christian instruction in the home is parents who do not strive to live holy lives. Hypocrisy in a parent is like wearing a T-shirt that says, “God’s Word is not important,” while encouraging children to go to church. Since all parents are sinful, God’s answer to this problem is repentance and grace. Children need to see their parents seek God’s grace every day. If they sin against children, parents need to seek their forgiveness. Children need to see that their parents listen to God’s authority in the Bible. When they act contrary to God’s Word, parents are teaching their children not to care about it either.
Satan continues to attack God’s embassy in the home. He uses the spiritual apathy of our culture to attack the values of Christian marriage, the roles of fathers and mothers, and Christian living. Television shows openly mock Christian beliefs. Christian youth are being shaken to the core. A shallow faith will not survive these cultural pressures, where Christians are called “bigots” when they stand up for Biblical morality. Satan has used the easy divorce to break down the family and drive spouses from the church. Divorce also shakes a child’s foundation and erodes confidence in life and truth. Satan attacks children in the public schools through “twisted education,” which often stands against the Christian instruction in the home. Ages 14–24 are critical for young people to retain the faith of their parents. Satan also attacks the home through the internet, that is, the anonymous adultery of visual lust or seeking wrong friendships. This has become a spiritual epidemic that destroys marriage and the soul. People become trapped by internet pornography or live under a cloud of self-loathing, which tends to push them from Christ.
Because of these attacks, the home needs a firm foundation. One such foundation is Martin Luther’s Small Catechism. Parents could use the catechism for their own devotions and to instruct their children. Children should first memorize the words, then be taught the meaning. Daily devotions and prayers enhance family life and spiritual education through the Gospel. The home should be a place where the young can ask spiritual questions. Singing hymns places God’s truths in a child’s heart.
Christian training is a balance of presenting God’s Word without cramming religion down a child’s throat. Such training is pulling the child through the example of the parents’ love for Jesus and His Word. May the comforting Word of God guide and direct us so that our homes may be embassies of the eternal kingdom God has prepared for us by the work of Jesus Christ.
Convention essay by Chaplain Donald Moldstad, Bethany Lutheran College, Mankato, Minnesota. Summarized by the editor.