My neighbor up the road, pastor/artist Rev. Mark Horst at the local UMC church, had a cup of coffee with me and a chat about justification/sanctification/Methodist/Lutheran polity & language last week.
Lutherans like to talk about sanctification... And that’s usually about all we do with it.
Some of Mark's Methodist buddies like to talk about holiness. To them, it' both personal AND social. (“Don’t let your new birth be a still birth... how many are the born again drukerds and whores...”)
It seems to me that a simple, natural, doable way of calling parents to nurture their kids “every night in ever home” (our mission statement) might be needed. Not another artificial church-fun PROGRAM but a simple and eminently doable natural PROCESS integrated into the core of what the family is doing anyway. Since most parents of young children have a routine when they put their babies to sleep, and that routine/ritual may include songs, stories and prayers anyway, inviting them to simply be INTENTIONAL about of growing in holiness night by night by night might be a way to go that would work for every parent.
It's clear that a "premie" baby needs an incubator. And if those who put their babies to sleep every night simply see themselves adding the additional warmth, care, nurture and support of a "home incubator" every night, that's an easy thing to ask them to do. Adding a reflection of the day, plus some simple prayers, scripture songs, and blessing to the nightly ritual AND intentionally calling on them to continue this EVERY NIGHT night that their child/teen lives under their roof - this we may actually grow these babies in the faith to Christian maturity. Step by step. Night by night. Care by care. Prayer by prayer.
The odd thing that occurred to me since my talk with Pastor Mark is this:
The “baby” in the faith just might be a 32 year old dad... Or mom... Or grandma.
They need it, too.
So, we as professional pastors and teachers must ask ourselves: Is the system we have in place doing the parent's incubation for them, or calling them to do the incubation? We can either feed the children, or feed the feeders.
Which has more exponential possibilities?
Lutherans like to talk about sanctification... And that’s usually about all we do with it.
Some of Mark's Methodist buddies like to talk about holiness. To them, it' both personal AND social. (“Don’t let your new birth be a still birth... how many are the born again drukerds and whores...”)
It seems to me that a simple, natural, doable way of calling parents to nurture their kids “every night in ever home” (our mission statement) might be needed. Not another artificial church-fun PROGRAM but a simple and eminently doable natural PROCESS integrated into the core of what the family is doing anyway. Since most parents of young children have a routine when they put their babies to sleep, and that routine/ritual may include songs, stories and prayers anyway, inviting them to simply be INTENTIONAL about of growing in holiness night by night by night might be a way to go that would work for every parent.
It's clear that a "premie" baby needs an incubator. And if those who put their babies to sleep every night simply see themselves adding the additional warmth, care, nurture and support of a "home incubator" every night, that's an easy thing to ask them to do. Adding a reflection of the day, plus some simple prayers, scripture songs, and blessing to the nightly ritual AND intentionally calling on them to continue this EVERY NIGHT night that their child/teen lives under their roof - this we may actually grow these babies in the faith to Christian maturity. Step by step. Night by night. Care by care. Prayer by prayer.
The odd thing that occurred to me since my talk with Pastor Mark is this:
The “baby” in the faith just might be a 32 year old dad... Or mom... Or grandma.
They need it, too.
So, we as professional pastors and teachers must ask ourselves: Is the system we have in place doing the parent's incubation for them, or calling them to do the incubation? We can either feed the children, or feed the feeders.
Which has more exponential possibilities?
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