Raising Resident Aliens
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SERMON OUTLINE, SESSION 6
Chapter 6, “Raising Resident Aliens”
, “Raising Resident Aliens” ● ● ● Scripture reading: Guiding theme: How do we raise resident aliens? • Assumption that Christians are/were in charge, that we had “Christianized” the culture; challenge of exile is that the culture is no longer a prop or help but sometimes even antagonistic toward raising a particular kind of people in the world. Raising resident aliens is the hardest thing about exile in an increasingly post-Christian world. • Illustration: Story of immigrants trying to make their way in America while still maintaining the food, identity, language, and traditions of their motherland. • Primary sin that the people of God seem to commit throughout the Old Testament is forgetting. We want the “good life” for our children, but the many visions of good life may overlap and compete with what it means to be a person committed to Christ. • Daniel and his three young friends probably were taken from Jerusalem in the first wave when Nebuchadnezzar repopulated part of his land. They were invited to eat at the king’s table and given positions of authority. Daniel’s parents likely would have been left behind in Jerusalem. • The great fear of many immigrants is not persecution but assimilation and comfort. • Hoosiers illustration: “Doesn’t everybody want to feel like a god every once in a while?” “Isn’t it sad in a culture when you can become a god by putting a leather ball through an iron hoop? It’s kind of a cheap god.”* To raise resident aliens, what we need is a particular story, a story that constantly forms them. • Illustration: Family stories we share over and over around the table; biblical stories we share over and over in Sunday school/worship service. • What resident aliens eat, with whom they identify, and how they speak and dream—all of it matters (Daniel and his friends). It’s critical that our children understand why these stories shape the decisions that we make about how we spend money, spend time (Sabbath), and choose our career and the pursuits of our lives. *Paraphrase; see “Hoosiers,” Subzin Movie Quotes, accessed February 16, 2017, http://www.subzin.com/quotes /M98065f0e/Hoosiers/Gods+come+pretty+cheap+nowadays%2C+don%27t+they%3F. 2 • Joshua: “What is this pile of rocks about? God met us here.” Build altars and ask, “Do you know what this means? God has acted in the past, God is acting now, and God will act in the future.” It takes a whole tribe of people who are trying to live this unique way of life in the world to raise resident aliens. The children of this community are the responsibility of this community
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Guiding theme: How do we raise resident aliens? • Assumption that Christians are/were in charge, that we had “Christianized” the culture; challenge of exile is that the culture is no longer a prop or help but sometimes even antagonistic toward raising a particular kind of people in the world.
Scripture reading:
Now when all the nation had finished crossing the Jordan, the Lord spoke to Joshua, saying, “Take for yourselves twelve men from the people, one man from each tribe, and command them, saying, ‘Take up for yourselves twelve stones from here out of the middle of the Jordan, from the place where the priests’ feet are standing firm, and carry them over with you and lay them down in the lodging place where you will lodge tonight.’ ” So Joshua called the twelve men whom he had appointed from the sons of Israel, one man from each tribe; and Joshua said to them, “Cross again to the ark of the Lord your God into the middle of the Jordan, and each of you take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Israel. “Let this be a sign among you, so that when your children ask later, saying, ‘What do these stones mean to you?’ then you shall say to them, ‘Because the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord; when it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off.’ So these stones shall become a memorial to the sons of Israel forever.”
Introduction:
Dallas Willard in his book, “The Great Omission” said, “The greatest issue facing the world today, with all its heartbreaking needs, is whether those who, by profession or culture, are identified as “Christians” will become disciples—students, apprentices, practitioners— of Jesus Christ, steadily learning from him how to live the life of the Kingdom of the Heavens into ever corner of human existence.”
This is not something that just happens by accident, but it is something we must be purposeful about. I began today by reading a portion of one my favorite Psalms today; . Fortunately for you, I did not read it in its entirety as it is 72 verses long. :-) You can thank me later! ;-) However, I like verse 3 & 4 which say…
Which we have heard and known, And our fathers have told us. We will not conceal them from their children, But tell to the generation to come the praises of the Lord, And His strength and His wondrous works that He has done.
As a children’s pastor I chose this verse to be a theme for my ministry, but it is not a theme for children’s pastors alone, but it should be for every church and every parent a guideline of the responsibility we have to raise our children who will, like us be “resident aliens.”
This is not easy to do. In the culture we live in, they are often out in the world hearing from others, then they are with us. In the days of pioneer life, things were different. The children were at home working and learning alongside their parents a good part of the day, but now parents raising children are lucky if they get even 3 hours a day with their children. One of those hours is taken up getting ready to go to school and work. Another is busy with dinner preparations. And I fear too much of what is left over is in front of a television. I am glad to see so many of the young mom’s in our congregation who have chosen to be home with their children during their young years when they can be with them all day. This is such an important time as it give the best chance to make an impression on them before they go out into the world.
With so few hours in a day, it is really difficult to have much influence in their lives and it is easy to allow time to go by forgetting to share the things God has done in our lives.
Raising resident aliens is the hardest thing about exile in an increasingly post-Christian world.
Raising resident aliens is the hardest thing about exile in an increasingly post-Christian world.
Raising resident aliens is the hardest thing about exile in an increasingly post-Christian world.
For a long time our culture seemed to bare an image of what we called “Christian” and we felt safe with our children out in the world. Too often I think the church was depended upon to “make Christians” out of our children forgetting that as parents we were the prime leader in this role. We counted that our children were getting Bible in church and school, so it was not felt necessary in the home. However, it was never meant to be up to the church and schools alone. The Bible is clear that we as parents have the responsibility to pass it along to our children. Look at , another favorite verse of mind.
There are many examples around us of this challenge. I think it was in 3rd grade that I was told about how the U.S. is a melting pot of so many peoples.
“Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one! “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. “These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. “You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up. “You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead. “You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
Phylacteries
Pictures throughout my home with scriptures on them.
- memorial stones...Primary sin that the people of God seem to commit throughout the Old Testament is forgetting.
• Illustration: Story of immigrants trying to make their way in America while still maintaining the food, identity, language, and traditions of their motherland.
It is a challenge to maintain your cultural identity in a different culture.
Chinatown
Armenians
Marsing
The Armenian experience: They fled violence to maintain their identity only to have the that identity stolen by the good things found in America instead. (Wratto family - satisfaction with nothing to an overwhelming desire for things)
Our actions as human beings flow from three core areas: our values, our identity, and our convictions.
Our actions as human beings flow from three core areas: our values, our identity, and our convictions.
• Daniel and his three young friends probably were taken from Jerusalem in the first wave when Nebuchadnezzar repopulated part of his land. Nebuchadnezzar’s plan was to assimilate these young men into his culture. To do so, he has to change their values, identity and convictions. So look at what he does:
They were invited to eat at the king’s table, that is the very best foods of Babylon.
Their names are changed to reflect the god’s of Babylon
Daniel= “God is my judge” to Belteshazzar = “Bel protects the king”
Hananiah = “The Lord is gracious” to Shadrach = “the command of Aku”
Mishael = “Who is like God?” to Meshach = “the gods move with force”
Azariah = “the Lord has helped” to Abednego = “the servant of Nebo”
They are then given positions of authority and are educated to read, write and speak Aramaic, the language of Babylon.
All of these things are given in order to sway their loyalty and change their values, identity, and convictions. However, by not worshiping Nebuchadnezzar they hold onto their identity and citizenship under God and God rescues them. That should be our hope for our children. However, it is too easy to get sidetracked by our culture and wanting to see our children succeed within the culture for which they live.
and given positions of authority. Daniel’s parents likely would have been left behind in Jerusalem.
Daniel’s parents likely would have been left behind in Jerusalem, but can you imagine how they felt when they heard of Daniel’s success in Babylon?
We want the “good life” for our children, but the many visions of good life may overlap and compete with what it means to be a person committed to Christ.
We want the “good life” for our children, but the many visions of good life may overlap and compete with what it means to be a person committed to Christ.
• Primary sin that the people of God seem to commit throughout the Old Testament is forgetting.
We want them to succeed within our nation. We want to see them have good jobs, nice homes, and cars, yet the desire for such things sometimes overlap with what it means to be a Christian and sometimes compete with what it means.
We want the “good life” for our children, but the many visions of good life may overlap and compete with what it means to be a person committed to Christ.
I have never been a big “reality TV” fan, however there is one program that I have come to enjoy. It is The Voice. As much as I enjoy it, there is one issue I am struggling with. There have been multiple youth and adults that are either worship leaders or on worship teams in churches and they desire more. The gift God has given them to lead others in worship has lead to success and turned their sights on what they feel are “higher prospects” than the church. Then they share their stories and introduce their parents and share how their parents have been so supportive throughout this process. WOW, that blows my mind on so many levels!
They
There is no higher calling I can think of than leading others in worship and to the throne of God.
They have lost their focus on God and now placed it on themselves. (Essentially, we have just made ourselves our own idol (American idol).
They have forgotten that their talent is not about them, but about the God who gave it to them.
Have these parents paid any attention to the lives of young people destroyed by this kind of fame? (Kirk Cameron)
When we adopt the values of the culture, we become in danger of being assimilated.
When we adopt the values of the culture, we become in danger of being assimilated.
Do not get me wrong. There is nothing inherently wrong with wealth and success. When they are achieved under the right circumstances, they can even help us do the work we are called to do. It is not wrong to want good things for our children, even God desires that for us. But we must be careful of our values and our motives, as well as what we are communicating to our children. What are we teaching them to value most?
“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.
• The great fear of many immigrants is not persecution but assimilation and comfort. We need to be careful we do not fall into the same trap. Rev. Daniels shared an illustrations of sports success. He shared the following illustration...
• The great fear of many immigrants is not persecution but assimilation and comfort.
• Hoosiers illustration: (teacher says) “Doesn’t everybody want to feel like a god every once in a while?” “Isn’t it sad in a culture when you can become a god by putting a leather ball through an iron hoop? It’s kind of a cheap god.”*
To raise resident aliens, what we need is a particular story, a story that constantly forms them.
To raise resident aliens, what we need is a particular story, a story that constantly forms them.
That is the story of God with focus upon the cross of Christ that provides us the means to become Children of God and residents of another land not yet fully realized.
• Illustration: is long because after it says we will tell the next generation, it proceeds to recount the stories of God in their past once again.
The stories of the Old Testament were gathered together and written down during the time of the exile to keep them from being lost. They were told, and retold, and retold to their children. If you read through the Psalms you will find many that are recounting their stories again.
• Joshua: “What is this pile of rocks about? God met us here.” Build altars and ask, “Do you know what this means? God has acted in the past, God is acting now, and God will act in the future.” (Tell story of the woman whose husband left her and her children and her collected stones to remind them of God’s faithfulness that first year.)
Family stories we share over and over around the table; biblical stories we share over and over in Sunday school/worship service.
It is critical that our children understand why these stories shape the decisions that we make about
• What resident aliens eat, with whom they identify, and how they speak and dream—all of it matters (Daniel and his friends). It’s critical that our children understand why these stories shape the decisions that we make about how we spend money, spend time (Sabbath), and choose our career and the pursuits of our lives.
how we spend money (why do we tithe to the church, why do we support missionaries, why do we give to compassionate ministries…)
how we spend our time (daily prayer/devotions, worship, Sabbath, participation in ministry)
how we select entertainment: music/movies
the chooses of our career and the pursuits of our lives.
Luis Palau:
“I was brought up from the get-go that the whole point of staying on Earth is because God wants to use us to bless other people so they can come and know him. You worked just to have money to get people to come to Christ. You studied to have intelligence to lead people to Christ.
Not only do we share about God, but...
It is important to share our journey with God.
It is important to share our journey with God.
Be transparent
Be transparent
Share your failures, your struggles, your doubts and how you have worked through them along the way. The things you have learned through the journey. (Mom and my’s discussion of the spiritual struggles for all of us during that time in Marsing).
Practice your walk before your walk in front of your children
Practice your walk before your walk in front of your children
Practice your walk before your walk in front of your children
Practice your walk before your walk in front of your children
Share with them what you are doing and why you are doing it. As you make decisions for yourself and your family, involve your family. Talk together, pray together, seek God’s will together, so it becomes a practice for them. It becomes what they know and do because it is deeply ingrained in them.
Dedicate your children to the Lord before the church, acknowledging the church is your family involved in the process of assisting in raising “resident aliens”
Dedicate your children to the Lord before the church, acknowledging the church is your family involved in the process of assisting in raising “resident aliens”
It takes a whole tribe of people who are trying to live this unique way of life in the world to raise resident aliens. The children of this community are the responsibility of this community
Be prepared as there will be prodigals!
Be prepared as there will be prodigals!
Do not give up!
Do not give up!
A time will come when he or she will begin to become homesick for the things they were raised up with. (Jeremy; almost 40)
Train children in the right way, and when old, they will not stray.
This is not a promise, but a word of wisdom.
About this time, you may be thinking, but I have already raised my children. I want you to know that it is not too late to have an influence on them. It is not too late to share with them your past failures and successes as a Christian. It is not too late to speak into their lives God’s wisdom when they face problems. It is never too late to pray. Just ask John and Cary. They can testify to the fact that it is never too late as long as your children are walking this earth.
Pray and dismiss
*Paraphrase; see “Hoosiers,” Subzin Movie Quotes, accessed February 16, 2017, http://www.subzin.com/quotes /M98065f0e/Hoosiers/Gods+come+pretty+cheap+nowadays%2C+don%27t+they%3F. 2
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