공동체와 양육

Family

2009.09.06Rev. Jim Burns

Family is where God's heart for children becomes visible: we bless our families by being present, giving affection, and leaving spiritual deposits, and the Lord's unconditional love is what enables us to give that love to them.

Every family carries pain, but God's heart is with children and families

Dana Point's beautiful harbor hid a couple's bitter argument, and Kathy's remark that pain lies right below the surface of paradise rang true. Most families bring pain at times, and the speaker's own family, with an alcoholic father and a grandfather who died of cirrhosis, was no exception. In Guatemala, a woman who helped unwed mothers and spoke to children about Jesus told him that children are closest to the heart of God. Her son had died three months earlier, and her radiance in grief stayed with the speaker. God's heart is with kids and families, and the speaker's own family story also shows that a family's pain does not have to define it.

Jesus receives the children, so we bless children with our presence (13-16)

In Mark 10, the disciples rebuked the people bringing little children to Jesus, and Jesus was indignant with them and said, let the little children come to me, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. He took the children in his arms, laid his hands on them, and blessed them, which was a striking thing to do in that day. Children read a parent's presence as a sign of caring and connectedness. The speaker's mother, dying in hospice, asked where his father was, and then said she had not come to watch baseball but to be with him. Being present for family makes a real difference.

Blessing children with affection meets a deep human need

Jesus showed affection when he placed his hands on the children, and families need that same affection. The speaker cited a UCLA study that says it takes 8 to 10 meaningful touches for a person to thrive. He told of a 17-year-old girl whose father had stopped lifting her up and calling her his little princess, and of how she turned to false intimacy. Affection is not sexual or inappropriate touch, but appropriate and healthy affection, shown through hugs and warm greetings. Many people are craving affection, and families are where it should be given first.

Welcoming children means leaving spiritual deposits in their lives (Mark 9:36-37)

In Mark 9, Jesus took a child into his arms and said that whoever welcomes one of these children welcomes him and the one who sent him. Parents' most important calling is to raise their children to love Jesus, and this is not a task to hand over to the church or to others. We are often so busy that we become overcommitted and underconnected, and a fast pace of life wears down families. Untended fires become a pile of ashes, so we have to tend the fire of our own souls. Our children may take on our faith if they see authenticity in us, and parents who walk with integrity can raise children who walk securely.

Christ's unconditional love enables us to receive and then give love to our family

The speaker told of a father who dug for four hours in the ruins of an Armenian school after an earthquake, and who heard his son's voice after 36 hours. That father's promise, that he would always be there, echoes the Lord's promise that he will never leave or forsake us, and that promise has no exception for imperfect families. We first receive this sacrificial and unconditional love of God, and then we give it to our families. Like Mary's words at Cana, do what he tells you to do, so we ask God what he wants us to do in our families, and if needed, say that we are sorry.

Apply to Life

  • 우리 가정에 함께 있어 주는 시간을 내어 봅시다.
  • 가족에게 적절하고 따뜻한 애정을 표현합시다.
  • 바쁜 일정 속에서도 자녀에게 신앙의 씨앗을 심는 일을 우선으로 삼읍시다.
  • 가족 가운데 상처를 준 이에게 먼저 사과할 수 있는지 돌아봅시다.
  • 하나님의 희생적이고 조건 없는 사랑을 받아들여 가족에게 나누어 줍시다.

This summary was made automatically from the sermon's captions and may differ from the sermon.

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