St. John's Franklin Podcast

Kenny Benge preached a sermon entitled “The Kids Will Be All Right” on  for The Third Sunday of Easter on April 19, 2015. This past Sunday we celebrated a baptism in our service. I took the opportunity to discuss the importance of the Sacrament of Baptism for the nurture and formation of our children’s faith. Below is a quote I refer to in the sermon:

 

“Young people leaving the faith” books are the home security commercials of the church. You know what I mean: those television advertisements for residential alarm systems that prey upon our anxieties, tapping into our reptilian instincts. They extort us by leveraging both our fears and our loves: our love for family—and for stuff, let’s be honest—and fear that some intruder will break in to plunder both…

 

If you look past the headlines and fear-mongering book titles, you’ll find that a more complex, nuanced, even hopeful picture emerges. Consider, for instance. a recent study based on multi-generational data compiled by the National Institute of Mental Health. The study confirms something both ordinary and revolutionary: when it comes to passing on faith, what matters is how you relate to your children. Authoritarian constriction doesn’t help (zealots only produce rebels); but neither does a hands-off, laissez-faire, let-the-kids-decide approach…proclaim the faith to your children, immerse them in the practices of the body of Christ, model the faith for them, and give them room to question it—the sovereign Spirit will do the rest.

James K.A. Smith, Comment

 

The Third Sunday of Easter 

Acts 3:12-19

Psalm 4

1 John 3:1-7
John 24:36-48

Direct download: KidsWillBeAllRight.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am CDT