Sermon: Children Welcome Conference

Teach the Children
Deuteronomy 6:1-9, 20-21

They were trying to trick Jesus – as usual. And they asked him: which is the most important law? It was a trick, you remember. A trap. Not an honest question. They didn’t think that he could answer it.

So – Was Jesus tricked? No. What did Jesus say? What was the most important commandment?

Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your might. Love the Lord.

Oh – and another is like it. Love your neighbor as yourself.

Love God and love your neighbor. According to Jesus the most important commandment and the one like it. Love God and love neighbor. We probably all remember that story.

What we may not remember is the original setting for that greatest commandment. Originally it is found in the Hebrew Scriptures. In Deuteronomy.

What we also may not remember – but which fits our purposes tonight – is that this commandment is found where Moses is talking about teaching the children. And what is the most important teaching?

Love God.

In the beginning of the book of Deuteronomy, Moses and the people of God are sitting on the edge of the Promised Land. Just one more river to cross. Moses knows he doesn’t get go. Forty years of leading these stiff-necked, whiny, are-we-there-yet people, and he doesn’t get to taste the moment of fulfillment when they cross out of the wilderness over into Canaan.
But his job is not quite yet done. He’s got one more big speech in him. One more set of instructions from God to the people. As they sit there just this side of the Promised Land. One more speech – for the children – and the children’s children.

The main message of this last speech? Love God. Love God.

It’s beautiful in its simplicity.

Now – Moses is about to fill in the details. Thirty or so chapters of details. But for now he offers the executive summary. When you go into this land, he says, this beautiful land, this land flowing with milk and honey, when you go into this land, teach this one thing to the children – so you and your children and your children’s children will remember the Lord.

Don’t forget, says Moses. Love the Lord your God. Tell it to your children all the time in every way.

7  Recite (it) to your children and talk about (it):
when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you rise.
8  Bind (it) as a sign on your hand, fix (it) as an emblem on your forehead,
9  and write (it) on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

Love God. Teach the children to love God. Make it unforgettable. Put it everywhere. A magnet on your refrigerator. Taped to your bathroom mirror. A cross stitch for the baby’s room. Love God, says Moses.

If you forget everything else remember this: Love God.

Because you just might forget. In verses 10 and following Moses says,

10  When the LORD your God has brought you into the land that he swore to your ancestors, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give you—a land with fine, large cities that you did not build,
11  houses filled with all sorts of goods that you did not fill, hewn cisterns that you did not hew, vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant—and when you have eaten your fill,
12  take care that you do not forget the LORD, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.

You see, when life gets easy they might forget.

When their days of wilderness wandering are over, when they trade in their tents for a roof over their heads, they might forget. When they have eaten and are satisfied, when they have a job and a car in the garage and soccer practice and dance lessons and the math tutor and grocery shopping to do, they might forget who brought them here.

They might be tempted to think that they did it all themselves, that they made it all happen – that it belongs to them.

“And when you have eaten your fill, take care that you do not forget the Lord, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.”

You see what it is that makes Moses nervous?

There’s an old saying: Dance with the one that brung ya. Moses is nervous. He’s afraid the people will forget that God is the one who brought them to this dance, delivered them from slavery, led them through the wilderness to the edge of the Promised Land. He’s afraid they’ll forget – and their children will never know.

Never know that God heard their cries at the hand of Pharaoh, never know that God sent them a leader, organized their escape, parted the sea so they could cross on dry land, provided manna and quail to eat, pillars of fire and smoke to guide them. Moses is afraid they’ll wake up one day in the land of milk and honey and think they did it all themselves. And they won’t be grateful and they won’t love God for it and their children will never know.

You’ve heard the story I’m sure where the little boy comes home from Sunday School one day and his mother asks him what he learned in Sunday School and he says well, we learned about Moses and how the people escaped from Egypt. How Moses organized a whole bunch of jet fighters to come in and provide cover while the people got out and helicopters evacuated the wounded.

His mother said, “My gosh, is that what they’re really teaching you over there at that Sunday School?”

The little boy said, “Well, no. But if I told you the way they told it, you’d never believe me.”

Moses was afraid the people would forget who got them where they are today and that the children would never know who brought them to this dance. Moses was afraid they wouldn’t be grateful and they wouldn’t love God.

Love God. Teach the children.

And how do you teach them? (And how do you remember yourself?)

Well, you think on who it was that brought you to the dance. You immerse yourself in your gratitude to God. You remember the commandment, Love God. You put it on like a garment. Moses says, write it on your hand, on your forehead, on your door. Think in the morning, Love God. Think in the evening, Love God. Talk about your love of God along the way. Tell your children.

Show your children.

Wear it. Make it plain to anyone who sees you. That’s Moses’ word to the people there on the edge of the Promised Land.

So . . .
. . . what about our children? What are we teaching our children? We who live in cities we did not build, drink water from wells we did not hew, eat food which we did not plant. What are we teaching our children?

Moses said, love God. Jesus said, love God. Moses went on for thirty more chapters. Jesus wrapped it all up in five more words – And your neighbor as yourself. What are we teaching our children?

As those precious young ones watch us live, what are they seeing? What are we wrapping ourselves in? What is the message we wear? At home and at church? Who brought us to this dance? And are we grateful? And do we show it? Who do we love? Is it God? And how would anyone know it? What are we teaching the children?

The question is not just to those of us who have children in our homes. The question comes to all of us. What are we teaching the children?

Are we talking to them? Learning their names? Engaging them?

Are we telling them the stories of how God loves each and every one of us? Are we helping them to be grateful? Are we wearing the love of God like a garment, so those sweet children can learn to love God as they experience the love of God coming from us?

What are we teaching the children?