This Week: Son of A Son of A Sailor
In the grand story of the Bible, you can always count on trouble when one generation fails to pass on the story of the faith to the next generation. As we celebrate Fathers’ Day and remember the men who have shaped our lives, we will reflect on the importance on passing our faith to a new generation.
Then God spoke all these words: 2I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery; 3you shall have no other gods before me. 4You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. 5You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, punishing children for the iniquity of parents, to the third and the fourth generation of those who reject me, 6but showing steadfast love to the thousandth generation of those who love me and keep my commandments. Exodus 20:1-6
1Give ear, O my people, to my teaching; incline your ears to the words of my mouth. 2I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings from of old 3things that we have heard and known, that our ancestors have told us. 4We will not hide them from their children; we will tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the LORD, and his might, and the wonders that he has done. Psalm 78:1-4
• Jimmy Buffett said of writing this song: “I saw a picture of my grandfather after he had come back from a trip to Nova Scotia. He was born there but left when he was a young man and didn’t return until he was 84. He was standing on dock staring at an old sailing schooner, and the look on his face told the story of where he had come from and where he had been. I have always been very proud of my heritage as a sailor and wrote this for the men who taught me the skills.”
o What story will the look on our face and the shape of our lives tell about where we have come from , where we have been, and where we hope to go?
o What skills have we taught a new generation?
• Have you tried to pass along your faith?
o Have you succeeded?
o How have you failed?
o How has God worked through your efforts?
• As a congregation, how well have we told the good news to the next generation? As we approach 20 years in ministry in this community, what must we do to continue to tell the story to new generations? What must we change? And what role do you play in telling the story?
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