Worship

Salem Lutheran Church Pastor Jon Enter
Theme: The Next Generation Depends on Us
Text: Deuteronomy 6:1-9

Children are like wet cement. Whoever or whatever puts pressure on them makes a lasting impression. The scary part about this fact is that the impressions left upon children can harden and become permanent parts of their identity. What impressions are you leaving upon the children around you: your children, grandchildren, nieces or nephews and especially the children of this church?

Mrs. Frost asked her Sunday School class one day in Woodridge, New Jersey, “What’s wrong with grownups? These are some of the complaints that children had about us know-it-all, seen-it-all, experienced-it-all adults.
1. Grownups make promises then they forget about them all the time.
2. Grownups don’t do the things they tell children to do like picking up their things or always telling the truth.
3. Grownups never really listen to what children have to say. They decide ahead of time how they’re going to answer.
4. Grownups make mistakes but they rarely say they were wrong.
5. Grownups interrupt children all the time and think nothing of it. If a child interrupts an adult, we get scolded or punished.
6. Grownups are always talking about what they did and how they acted when they were kids, but they don’t know what it’s like now.

As adults, we think we understand children because we used to be kids. But we have quickly forgotten what it was truly like to be a child. Plus, being a child nowadays is vastly different compared to when we were children. Researchers at Johns Hopkins University reported that 30+ years ago, the greatest fears of grade school children were: 1) Animals, 2) Being in a dark room, 3) High places, 4) Strangers, 5) Loud noises. Kids are now afraid of: 1) Divorce, 2) Mass Shootings, 3) Cancer, 4) Pollution, 5) Street Violence. The fears are different. The challenges are different. The expectations are differing. But one thing remains the same. Children are like wet cement. The good and the bad can equally leave a lasting impression.

It is up to us as Christians to make positive, permanent impressions on the children of this congregation and the children in your circle of influence. Whether that child was baptized in the last month or if that child is well into grade school or even high school years, God directs us to be spiritual influences on today’s youth. We are only one generation away from losing the faith entirely. The next generation depends on us.

Our sermon text gives us the encouragement to pass on the truths of God’s Word to the next generation. Moses, who wrote the book of Deuteronomy, warned the Israelites to be intentional in teaching their children and grandchildren about the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord (like the Crossing of the Red Sea to save ‘em, water from a rock to hydrate ‘em, miraculous manna bread every morning to feed ‘em).

When they crossed into the Promised Land, they would have to fight their battles. They’d have to dig wells for water. They’d have to hunt and grow food to eat. It was a bit easier to obey God’s laws when the Lord provided everything in the wilderness for 40 years. Even their clothes didn’t wear out! And the presence of the Lord was constantly in view for them over the Tabernacle as a pillar of smoke by day and a pillar of fire to give them a protective night light at night. All of that would soon be gone.

“When the LORD your God brings you into the land He swore to your fathers…be careful that you do not forget about the LORD, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.” (Deuteronomy 6:10-12) Moses knew the hearts of the Israelite nation were easily distracted and dismissive of God’s goodness. He knew they were only one generation from losing the knowledge of the Lord. “These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children.” (Deuteronomy 6:7) This command was taken seriously by our ancestors.

Today we are celebrating the 175th anniversary of our church body’s formation. 175 years ago, three German speaking Lutheran pastors in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, formalized our synod, our church body. From its humble roots starting in 1850 with those 3 pastors, 8 years later there were 17 pastors serving 17 churches with 16 schools. In 1919, the Lord blessed our mission work resulting in 127,000 communicant members plus all the children of those congregations. (And they didn’t have 2.5 children back then…more like 12.5 kids!) Today, 175 years later, WELS is 1,200 congregations strong across the US with world missions in 45 countries! Our ancestors told the next generation, us, about the Lord.

Are you? The same command Moses gave to the Israelites is the same command the Lord gives us. “Impress them on your children.” That same gospel-spreading, eternity-changing command is repeated in Psalm 78:4, “Tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, His power and the wonders He has done.” How are you doing?

Isn’t it strange how we don’t realize the sizeable impact our actions make on a child? Isn’t it strange how a hundred dollar bill seems like such a large amount when you donate it to church, but such an insignificant amount when you go shopping? Isn’t it strange how an hour…[dramatic pause] and ten minutes seems so long when you’re at church, and how short that same timeframe is when you’re watching your favorite team completing in sports? Isn’t it strange how difficult it is to find time to read one chapter of the Bible, but how easy it is to read 25 pages of a popular novel? Isn’t it strange how we believe everything that a trusted news anchor or podcaster says, but we are quick to question commands in the Bible when they confront our desires? Isn’t it strange how we need to know about an event at church weeks in advance to go, but we can adjust our schedule for other events at the last minute? Isn’t it strange how difficult it is to learn a Bible passage and share it, but how easy it is to learn and repeat gossip?

Think of the impression these actions leave on the next generation. Sad, isn’t it? Are our actions telling them the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, His power and the wonders He has done? Too often, we’ve done the opposite of the Lord’s will. Let’s not compound our mistake and repeat Mrs. Frost’s Sunday School children’s number four complaint. Their fourth complaint was, “Grownups make mistakes but they rarely say they were wrong.”

Let’s model to the next generation how Christians respond when we realize our sins. Adults, please repeat after me. “God, I have done wrong.” [Pause.] “God, I have not always modeled Christian living.” [Pause.] “God, please forgive me.” [Pause.] By the perfect life and innocent death of our Lord Jesus Christ, He has removed your guilt forever. You are His own dear child. May God give you strength to live according to His will.

Those are familiar and comforting words. They’re familiar because they are often spoken as words of forgiveness at the beginning of worship. They’re comforting because they’re true! They declare, “Your past is no longer your past. You’re forgiven. Loved! The Lord’s!”

In the peace of forgiveness, we praise the Lord. Sometimes with a song in worship. In our everyday living, our lives lived intentionally for the Lord are our songs of praise, as we work to live faithful lives to God.

Besides praising and thanking God, there’s another reason to live visual lives of faithfulness to God’s Word. We use our Christian living to “tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord.” The next generation depends on us. They need us to model for them how to worship, how to thank Him, how to have devotions, how to help others, how to basically live for Christ in a world that doesn’t. Actions speak volumes.

What a child sees done, that child will often want to do. That’s why children want a toy vacuum, a toy oven, or a toy lawn mower. Those “toys” don’t sound like a lot of fun to adults, but kids desire them because they want to be like adults. I said before that children are like wet cement. They are! I’m going to change the analogy. Children are like sponges.

The fact that children are like sponges can be good and be bad; it depends on the environment. Immerse children in a Christian environment with pure Christian living and the Holy Spirit will lead those children to soak up the gospel truth—Christ died for their sins and loves them unconditionally. That child will become eager to tell others about Jesus and sing joyfully and often offkey, “Jesus loves me this I know.” But children often quickly soak in negative thoughts and feelings about church that are displayed by adults. What you say negatively about this place will be soaked up by children and grandchildren. That’s why it’s so critical for us to immerse children in this church and outside this church in our positive, forgiveness-loving, Jesus-praising living.

Let me illustrate this. I have a sponge, a bowl of white milk and a bowl of red juice. If I place the sponge in the milk, it soaks it up. When I squeeze it, white comes out. When I put that same sponge in red juice, it soaks it up. When I squeeze it, red comes out.

This [hold up a sponge] represents a child—any child. The milk represents pure, Christian living. The red juice represents living apart from God. Whichever juice I place the sponge, it will soak it up. Whichever environment we place children, [living for God or apart from God] children will soak up and pour out from their lives.

But pastor! I’m in church; I’m a believer. I’m the bowl of white, pure living. Your soul has been made pure and forgiven by Jesus but what are you modeling for those around you in how you live, act, or speak? When you go back and forth between living for God and lying or complaining about church or getting angry or getting drunk or gossiping or any sin you move your heart and the children you’re influencing back and forth between these two environments [I will have moved the sponge back and forth as I spoke those words.] Look what happened! The white milk isn’t white anymore. The environment we thought we were modeling for others isn’t pure. It’s confusing to the next generation. So, what do we do?

Model what it is to be a Christian who confesses their sins to the Lord. “God, I have done wrong.” [Pause.] “God, I have not always modeled Christian living.” [Pause.] “God, please forgive me.” [Pause.] [I’ll pour out the bowl of mixed white/red liquid into a trash can and refill it with pure, white milk as I say these words.] By the perfect life and innocent death of our Lord Jesus Christ, He has removed your guilt forever. You are His own dear child. May God give you strength to live according to His will.

The next generation depends on us. Just as we depended upon our parents, grandparents and all those who went before us all the way back to the pastors and Christian people who started our synod, all the way back to Martin Luther and the Christian people who started the Reformation, all the way back to the disciples and Christian people who believed that Jesus, our Savior, was risen, risen indeed, alleluia!

You can call children cement or a sponge, but either way they’re watching; they’re learning from you. Show ‘em Jesus! Point them to Christ. Let’s tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord! Amen.