As usual on Sunday, I walked to church with the kids twice: once for morning church and once for evening church. Do you think I am being disrespectful to God if I go to evening church in my ugg boots?
On the way to morning church, I had a wonderful God Chat with Anna. It went something like this.
Anna: "Mummy, did you know that I love you?"
Me: "Yes, Anna, I did know that. I love you too."
Anna: "But Mummy... did you know that... I love God more than I love you?"
Me: "I'm glad to hear that, Anna. I love God lots and lots, too. But you know what? Sometimes I don't love God as much as I know I should. And I don't worship Him or obey Him as well as I want to, either."
Anna: "Don't worry, Mummy. We are all sinners, and none of us are as good as Jesus."
Me: "You're right Anna. So I am glad that when God looks at us, He doesn't see our sin, but instead he sees Jesus' goodness and righteousness."
Anna: "Mmm."
Me: "Remember the Colin song, Big Words That End in SHUN? There's that word in it: Imputation." (Sings a line from the song.) "Imputa-SHUN, Jesus' righteousness made mine."
Anna: "Oh, yeah, I remember. That is good, Mummy."
Me: "It sure is."
I am very grateful for the wonderful Christians who make music that helps me to teach my kids about Jesus Christ, and what he has done for us, such as Colin Buchanan and EMU Kids Music.
It was really exciting to hear one of our elders preach this Sunday, completing a five week sermon series expanding on the elders' vision for our church in the future, and how we shall (by God's grace) bring glory to the LORD. One of the best bits was officially hearing that the elders would like to employ a full time, theologically- and educationally-trained person as a Children's Worker, to develop a Bible-based Sunday School program for use with the children in our church; to train our Sunday School teachers so that they have an easier time helping disciple our kids; and possibly even to extend the children's ministry of our congregation through holiday or after-school programs so that more children from our local community can hear the word of God. This is very exciting stuff!
On the way to evening church, I had another wonderful God Chat, this time with Joshua, who had been on a Boys' Brigades camp overnight with Jeff. Here's a paraphrase.
Joshua: "Mum, why do some people like to listen to scary stories?"
Me: "Well..." (Pause for thinking; perhaps now was not a good time to get into a discussion about how people's sinful nature makes it enjoyable for our thoughts to dwell on evil; this might be a little beyond him - he is only six, after all.)
Me: "I guess it is partly because some people don't like to think that what the Bible says about what happens after we die is true - that people who have believed in Jesus Christ and trusted Him, putting their faith in Him only, will go to heaven, but those people who haven't put their faith in Jesus will go to hell, forever. Lots of people want to believe that something else might happen instead, like we become ghosts, or something. So they make up spooky stories."
>Joshua: "Ah."
Me: "And I guess one good thing about scary stories is that we know we really can believe what the Bible tells us about what happens when we die, and when we hear those stories we might get an opportunity to tell our friends the truth. It is pretty important that people get to hear the truth, so that they don't believe that ghosts and other made-up things are real."
Joshua: "Yeah, Mum, you're right. ... Mummy, are you sure Drop Bears aren't real?"
Me: "Yes, Joshua, I'm sure Drop Bears aren't real."
Romans 3:21-28 says,
21But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. 22This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, 23for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. 25God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— 26he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.27Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. On what principle? On that of observing the law? No, but on that of faith. 28For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from observing the law.
Romans 6:22-23 tells us,
22But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. 23For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
[Ugg boot picture from here. I am strongly opposed to the registration by a foreign company of the word UGG as a trademark in Australia, where the word, with alternate spellings such as Ugh and Ug, has been used for a long time as a generic name for boots made from sheepskin. Registering the name Ugg as a trademark in Australia (or preventing Australian suppliers from selling overseas using this name for their Australian product) is about as ridiculous as trademarking the word slipper, IMO. For more on this issue, see here.]
Monday, 6 July 2009
Sunday Moments
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4 comments:
Wonderful conversations! Praise God.
Two nights ago, as we were gathering for evening prayers and Scripture, Lane banged his back on the sharp corner of a piece of furniture. In pain and bleeding, he let us put on ointment and a band-aid, then, through his tears he called for his Bible.
"Bring me my Bible!" he cried, "I want to read Psalm 91:4!"
This shocked me. Earlier in the summer when he was imitating me in morning devotions (he's since lost steam in that endeavor) he was copying a verse a day from Psalm 91 into his journal. Why Psalm 91? He remembered studying Psalm 90 (Moses's Psalm) in BSF, read it, then continued reading in Psalm 91. But two nights ago I didn't really know this. I knew he was copying verses, but didn't realize how serious he was about it.
We couldn't find Lane's Bible right away when he was hurt, so I opened mine up and read Psalm 91:4 to him. My Bible is ESV; Lane's is NIV.
I read, "He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler."
Lane listened and was relieved. "I love that verse." Then, "Mom, buckler must mean rampart."
"Huh?"
"In my Bible it says 'rampart'." Sure enough, the NIV says 'rampart'.
Don't you just shake your head in amazement at the privilege we have in being mothers and getting to watch the Spirit of God working in the hearts of our children? I marvel at His grace.
By the way, I'm going to have to get a copy of that "shun" song by Colin! You know how I feel about the doctrine of imputation!!! I hope I can find it. It seems he is a UK and Australia phenom and not so much in America.
Maybe we should bring over a whole heap of Colin CDs next year. If you can wait that long!
You know, I never knew that a buckler was a rampart. I always thought it meant something to do with belt (as in, buckle). So please thank Lane for making that connection for me!
~ Sharon
I think that is super lovely: "his truth shall be thy shield and buckler."
I see you are getting some great conversations. :) Our big thing today has been, "Bear good fruit." Not much, but I guess it all adds up in the end.
Deborah,
I think the important thing is that we have these conversations at all and that we keep on having them, even when sometimes they end in more "Hmmm" and "Errr" than "Oh WOW, now I see!".
I do know that in my own experience, the more I have been dwelling in the Scriptures, the more they spring to mind and I find God Chats just happen, without me planning or working for them.
My God bless your discipling of your children, so that it shall bear good fruit!
~ Sharon
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