That said, it’s time to resurrect this blog, make it useful to the good folks where I serve.

Forgiveness by Daniel F. Gerhartz

The Gospel lesson for this Sunday is Luke 7.36-8.3 and it provides us with one more building block for families who are responding to the heart of the good news, which is the identity of Jesus. Luke delivers one more building block for the faith of our families.

Now, if you have children that are about 4 years and older, I want you to take the time to read Luke 7.36-8.3  with them. Ask yourself these questions or ask these questions out loud with older children: Who was Jesus? What did he do that seemed so different to the others? Ask yourself these questions: What did Jesus do that is different from other religious leaders throughout human history? How significant is his uniqueness to the identity of our family?

Then Jesus said to her, ‘Your sins are forgiven.” But those who are at the table with him began to say among themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?” And he said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

Who else forgives sins? To quote a few scribes in Mark’s gospel, “Who can forgive sins but God alone?” This is both evangelists’ point, exactly.

Mom, you are the lead in your child’s spiritual life. (Did you see the “gospel women” in that passage! See! Told you!)

Dad, you are the lead in their life too. (No kidding! See Meg Meeker’s books if you don’t believe me. She proves it’s true even in the 21st century. You really are. Watch the way your son imitates you, or the way your daughter follows your every move around the house once you’re home.)

Parents, you are called to do this (Deuteronomy 6.4-7) and God certainly equips you with the skill set required to do this, if you’re open. To talk about the forgiveness of sin requires only one thing. That precondition is personal experience.

Know what I mean?

French Roast is an animated short film by Frabice O. Joubert that was nominated for an Oscar this year. That’s certainly worth mentioning, but even more important is the message of this nominated short.

Go ahead and give it a watch while you have your coffee.

French Roast undoubtedly reminds us that every scheme we can imagine and attempt to pull off in our lives never fixes the real problem we are facing? What’s that problem? Debt.

Are you tired of hearing about debt? Well, debt is also one way of talking about our status before God. It’s the awareness of our soul’s poverty that immediately precedes the good news of God’s Provision.

Simply put, we owe a debt we cannot pay. And yet, an unlikely and previously rejected source achieves what we could not and more than satisfies what is required.

French Roast is a solid introduction to the Gospel.

Romans 3.21-26 (via the Message) says this:

“But in our time something new has been added. What Moses and the prophets witnessed to all those years has happened. The God-setting-things-right that we read about has become Jesus-setting-things-right for us. And not only for us, but for everyone who believes in him. For there is no difference between us and them in this. Since we’ve compiled this long and sorry record as sinners (both us and them) and proved that we are utterly incapable of living the glorious lives God wills for us, God did it for us. Out of sheer generosity he put us in right standing with himself. A pure gift. He got us out of the mess we’re in and restored us to where he always wanted us to be. And he did it by means of Jesus Christ.”

“God sacrificed Jesus on the altar of the world to clear that world of sin. Having faith in him sets us in the clear. God decided on this course of action in full view of the public—to set the world in the clear with himself through the sacrifice of Jesus, finally taking care of the sins he had so patiently endured. This is not only clear, but it’s now—this is current history! God sets things right. He also makes it possible for us to live in his rightness.”

That’s probably a pretty thick, very dense passage in the New Testament (which is why some of you like to see us use the Bible paraphrase/translation called the Message). When trying to understand this in your next Romans Bible Study, don’t hesitate to use the animated short French Roast!

What else did you notice in the film? See the inability of the policeman to uphold the Law? See the declarations via the man’s mustache? See his smile at the end? What else? You will discover the entire emotional content of Paul’s Letter to the Romans in this short, especially the sense of Relief we share as Debtors overwhelmed by God’s Provision by Jesus.

Do you know a Jethro?

Moses married the daughter of Jethro, the priest of Median.

While Moses was tending the sheep, he walked into the Wilderness. And he met God…in the Wilderness. (When was the last time you walked that way? I know. Recent, right.)

After God told Moses how to approach him (barefoot.) God told him, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.”

Afraid, Moses buried his head.

The LORD said, “I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey—the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them. So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.”

But Moses said to God, “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?”

And God said, “I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain.”

Moses said to God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?”

God said to Moses, “I am who I am . This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ “

God also said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘The LORD, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you.’ This is my name forever, the name by which I am to be remembered from generation to generation.

What is God’s Name? Did you make it up, or did he tell you? He certainly makes sure we get it right once he Introduces himself.

Introduction.

Yes, that Introduction often takes place in the Wilderness.

Today, pay attention to the places where you walk barefoot. Is there anything Holy about those places? Are you likely to encounter the God of your father…, the God of Moses in those places?

In the Morning

From Psalm 51

Open my lips, O Lord, *
and my mouth shall proclaim your praise.
Create in me a clean heart, O God, *
and renew a right spirit within me.
Cast me not away from your presence *
and take not your holy Spirit from me.
Give me the joy of your saving help again *
and sustain me with your bountiful Spirit.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: *
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

A Reading

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!
By his great mercy we have been born anew to a living hope
through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
1 Peter 1:3

A period of silence my follow.

A hymn or canticle may be used; the Apostles’ Creed may be said.

Prayers may be offered for ourselves and others.

The Lord’s Prayer

The Collect

Lord God, almighty and everlasting Father, you have brought
us in safety to this new day: Preserve us with your mighty
power, that we may not fall into sin, nor be overcome by
adversity; and in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your
purpose; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

At Noon

From Psalm 113

Give praise, you servants of the LORD; *
praise the Name of the LORD.
Let the Name of the LORD be blessed, *
from this time forth for evermore.
From the rising of the sun to its going down *
let the Name of the LORD be praised.
The LORD is high above all nations, *
and his glory above the heavens.

A Reading

O God, you will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are
fixed on you; for in returning and rest we shall be saved; in
quietness and trust shall be our strength. Isaiah 26:3; 30:15

Prayers may be offered for ourselves and others.

The Lord’s Prayer

The Collect

Blessed Savior, at this hour you hung upon the cross,
stretching out your loving arms: Grant that all the peoples of
the earth may look to you and be saved; for your mercies’
sake. Amen.

or this

Lord Jesus Christ, you said to your apostles, “Peace I give to
you; my own peace I leave with you:” Regard not our sins,
but the faith of your Church, and give to us the peace and
unity of that heavenly City, where with the Father and the
Holy Spirit you live and reign, now and for ever. Amen.

In the Early Evening

This devotion my be used before or after the evening meal.

The Order of Worship for the Evening, page 109, may be used instead.

O gracious light,
pure brightness of the everliving Father in heaven,
O Jesus Christ, holy and blessed!

Now as we come to the setting of the sun,
and our eyes behold the vesper light,
we sing your praises, O God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

You are worthy at all times to be praised by happy voices,
O Son of God, O Giver of Life,
and to be glorified through all the worlds.

A Reading

It is not ourselves that we proclaim; we proclaim Christ
Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your servants, for Jesus’ sake.
For the same God who said, “Out of darkness let light
shine,” has caused his light to shine within us, to give the
light of revelation–the revelation of the glory of God in the
face of Jesus Christ. 2 Corinthians 4:5-6

Prayers may be offered for ourselves and others.

The Lord’s Prayer

The Collect

Lord Jesus, stay with us, for evening is at hand and the day is
past; be our companion in the way, kindle our hearts, and
awaken hope, that we may know you as you are revealed in
Scripture and the breaking of bread. Grant this for the sake
of your love. Amen.

At the Close of Day

Psalm 134

Behold now, bless the LORD, all you servants of the LORD, *
you that stand by night in the house of the LORD.
Lift up your hands in the holy place and bless the LORD; *
the LORD who made heaven and earth bless you out of Zion.

A Reading

Lord, you are in the midst of us and we are called by your
Name: Do not forsake us, O Lord our God. Jeremiah 14:9,22

The following may be said

Lord, you now have set your servant free *
to go in peace as you have promised;
For these eyes of mine have seen the Savior, *
whom you have prepared for all the world to see;
A Light to enlighten the nations, *
and the glory of your people Israel.

Prayers for ourselves and others may follow. It is appropriate that
prayers of thanksgiving for the blessings of the day, and penitence for our
sins, be included.

The Lord’s Prayer

The Collect

Visit this place, O Lord, and drive far from it all snares of the
enemy; let your holy angels dwell with us to preserve us in
peace; and let your blessing be upon us always; through Jesus
Christ our Lord. Amen.

The almighty and merciful Lord, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
bless us and keep us. Amen.

What is the next thing for you to do as a parent, as the spiritual leader in the life of your child?

(You are that one, don’t you know? You are more than a driver, Mom. You are more than the dad happy about provisions for the fam’ but frustrated that he’s tangled up in between airports yet one more weekend.)

So, what is the next thing for you to do?

Have you ever prayed with your child? This month – just one time, for starters – I want you to try it. Keep it simple. Make sure it’s from your heart. Say it out loud holding your son’s hand or with your daughter in your lap. Tell God how glad you are to be your child’s mom or dad. Tell God how glad you are that you are her dad or his mom. Say all that “…in Jesus’ Name.” Say “Amen.” Let me know how that goes.

Need ideas? Try this prayer of blessing for your son or for each of your daughters. Just lay your hand on your child’s head and say their name: “[Erica] I love you and I bless you in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”

There are great books of prayers for children of all ages to use too.

Do you pray with your child regularly? Yes, then go fishing with them. Break the cycle of the daily grind, week after week. Interrupt it with an afternoon off grid, no phone, no Crackberry ‘cept when you’re on your way back home and call to brag about the catch!

What’s another step to take? Add a Bible Story to the mix of stories at bed time. Let them pick from Zondervan’s Kidz Bible or Eugene Peterson’s My First Message.

By the way, if your teaching your children about the importance of weekly worship for your family, try The Man and the Vine by Jane G. Meyer. The illustrations by Ned Gannon are amazing. Liturgy and the Sacrament are properly rooted in the life of the people of God – right where they live – and in the Grace of God.

I get the question every week. It comes in different forms. “So, what do I need to do?” “What do I say?” “I missed Church, what do I need to know so that I’m not surprised at Supper?” “What do y’all do as a family?” Basically, parents are wanting to know how they can make the connections they really need to/want to make for their children, and even for themselves, between Sunday morning and the week before them.

Now, pay attention to this. First, it’s absolutely brilliant what these parents are asking. In their pursuit for something to “do this week,” they are reclaiming their authority, their distinct and most honorable role, in the precious lives of their children. As they do the next thing they can do, parents are remembering, or coming to terms for the first time with the Call upon their lives and the Commitment they made, whether they can articulate it or not. What is that Call? What is their required Commitment? To be the leads in their child’s understanding and formation as God’s covenant child.

Second, sure as mess, this is a tall order! You’re not alone. We’re here to partner with you. We’re here to back you and support you in every way we can. We’re here to remind you how we do this together. (More on that later.) Just known that we’re here for you, repeating over and over again, that your family is your child’s front row seat to the grace of God and God’s great big story.

Third, we’re not coming up with anything new here. It’s an ancient practice. It’s a very ancient practice. It’s old. Very old. It works over and over again. It has and it will. It’s what saves and helps us as parents in the 21st century from thinking that our big role in our son’s life is his driver; that our primary responsibility is safely motoring our daughter around the Loop and across the metro area from expert to guru and back again. It’s Deuteronomy 6.4-7, which reads:

Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might. Keep these words that I am commanding you today in your heart. Recite them to your children and talk about them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you rise.

Waking up in the morning…

Meals…

Drive-time…

Bed-time…

In each and every one of those movements of the day, you can lead your children to begin to learn and read the Great Big Story our Lord is writing them into. You can be the parent that God desires and has equipped you to be. You can begin to read and tell, and learn and tell again, and relearn and live, the Great Big Story of God’s Renewal and Restoration of the world through Jesus Christ, which includes the mess of our lives, our families.

Want to know how? Stay tuned. You can also meet us at the Parish.

What is important to remember about twelve days of gift-giving and receiving? Well, the why is the what that is happening to the hearts of my children. That’s the why of these twelve days for them…for us.

As far as LuLu and SamBam know, the whole wide world continues to celebrate the distinct chapter of our Lord’s Nativity right now. This chapter is delivered daily, over and over again. They get it straight and by way of poems, prayers, songs, their books, or a particular rabbit we chase during mealtime and drive-time conversations.  Sure, with little ones, it’s mostly Eugene Peterson’s account or mine or Crissy’s but we’re leading them to Luke and Matthew’s accounts.

What do my children experience during these twelve days of gift-giving and receiving? Toys! Sweet! Yep. And, ultimately, they see that Mom and Dad have owned the Story at Christmas. Yep, it’s our story; rather, the Story has assumed us. And all of us. Them too! We’ve all been written into it, haven’t we? We’ve been written into God’s Great Big Story of Redemption and Renewal. And as our precious children see the impact and meaning of the Incarnation for us maybe a full decade before that word is employed, formed by their lips and tongues. They hear songs and words about God’s gracious rule, his peace and hope. They hear about our sins forgiven and God’s light shining in the darkness. Yes, twelve days of gift-giving is just one more frame for the Gospel. This can be one more path to the hearts of our children.

Now, I haven’t even begun to tell you what they are teaching me during this Christmastide.