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This sermon – Why God Created Families – was originally preached 2013.05.05 by Merle Burkholder.
This Message is part of a series of messages preached by Merle Burkholder at the Bethel Mennonite Spring Weekend Meetings.
- Interpersonal Relationships – Saturday Evening
- A Picture of Christ and the Church – Sunday Morning (1)
- Why God Created Families – Sunday Morning (2)
- Meaning for Life – Sunday Evening
Passages used: John 10:27-30, Proverbs 18:13.
Families Bless Each Other by Hearing Each Other
We are all part of an imperfect family. Each of us also have the opportunity to have God as our perfect father and be part of the Church, the family of God.
A family blesses each other by listening to each other. Listening is an important part of connecting well as a family. There is a need in communication for someone to talk, but there is also a need for someone to listen.
There is also a difference between listening with the intent to reply and listening to understand.
Listening is extremely important in a family. Listening is more than just hearing… understanding is important.
Families Bless Each Other by Knowing Each Other
As a family we are well known by God. Things we don’t even know about ourselves are known to God!
In a family we work towards knowing each other. Living in the same house doesn’t mean that we will know each other. We bless each other by learning to know the other members of our families.
Parents need to be a catalyst for this to happen. Connecting with your children is one of the more important things that must happen. Build a relationship that will be something that they respect as they get older. When they are older you will be able to have a trusted relationship and the transition from child to adult can go much better for both of you.
If a relationship is established before the transitions that happen with a child as he grows up that relationship will be there throughout the transitions and after the transitions.
Find ways to build relationships and connections with your children.
Families Bless Each Other by Recognizing Leadership
Leadership is a God given role. Parents bless their families by providing leadership. This means giving direction and leading, not just turning over and allowing their kids to do whatever they want to.
For children it is also important that they recognize the leadership of their parents. God set their leadership up, accepting and respecting this leadership will lead towards a stronger and more fulfilling family.
There are times for many children where they wonder about their parents. Understanding that God set up your parents as leaders can help children respect and accept and grow because that. Your family is a gift that God gave to you and you are a gift to the family that God has placed you in.
Families Bless Each Other by Giving Each Other Security
God intends to complete the transaction that he has offered us. God is committed to those who are in his family. This same commitment is important in a physical family as well. This means that no matter what, no matter how far children go, the love that is there for the child will never change.
This commitment is summed up in that there is no way “out” of the family.
As parents the important thing is that they describe what the “family” is. This isn’t something that is delegated to the church or the school. It is something that must happen in the home. Parents develop the identity of family.
A child who doesn’t have this “core identity” will struggle with knowing “who they are.” Parents you are giving a gift to your children as you pass on your ideals and values to your children.
Families Bless Each Other by Having a Sense of Unity
The unity that is in a family, that we belong to each other, we will stick together and stick up for each other.
Your children need to understand their history and how they got to be where they are today and who they are today. We have been influenced by the decisions by the ancestors that we have. We are also making decisions today that our descendants will be influenced by.
Helping your children discover why they are here and what they are good at is an important part of being a good parent.
The gospel of Jesus Christ tells us where we came from. It tells us why there is meaning in this life. IT also tells us where we are going after we die. These are three of the most important questions we all must answer in life.
When you think about community, the most vulnerable people in a community are the children. Our focus as families, as a church community must be on the nurture and raising of our children. The children are the future. In one sense the idea of a “village” being needed is not wrong. Although family units are the basis of God’s design. Being there for someone else’s children is also extremely important.