From The Newsletter

Dear Friends

Dear Friends, An Orthodox Jewish Rabbi and his family live in a road near us. If you walk past their house on a Friday evening when Sabbath begins, you see candles burning and the table set up for the Sabbath meal. 

Jewish faith has always been very much a part of family life, and the responsibility for teaching children about God starts in the family. On Christmas Eve, I walked our dog around the streets, and saw quite a number of tables set for a Christmas Eve meal, with glistening glasses and candles alight. It was a very beautiful scene. I wondered how many conversations turned to the Christmas story.
I suspect not many. 

It is important for Christians to remember that the home is where faith is nurtured. In our modern times, we have become very secularized, and perhaps a bit embarrassed by open talk of faith. There are simple things we can do such as saying a simple prayer at night, or a meal grace, or reading a story from the Bible. It can very challenging to enter into conversation with a child as he or she tries to think about God.

Two of my daughter’s early questions included: ‘Does Jesus have a phone number?’ and ‘Is God pretend?’
I believe we have to take children’s questions seriously, as faith is not easy. We can’t see God. And sometimes God seems very far away.
So we need honesty and that needs us to be able to articulate the hope that lies in us (1 Peter 3.15 -16).

 I suspect children see through us quite easily when we try to fob them off with an easy answer. Sometimes, we don’t have an answer to hard questions, for example about pain and suffering. Church also gives adults and children a place to come together to worship and learn. We are delighted that a new Sunday School is starting at Thornbury URC. Home and church can work together in helping us to grow as Christians, in the same way that Monday to Friday schools need the support of parents to help children learn. It has already been a delight to hear very young voices singing enthusiastically, and even their crying, as tears and smiles are part of growing into the people God calls us to be. In Christ, SPI

In Christ
Stephen

                                                           


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