Why would a church plan a time for families to come to a baseball game? Will there be a worship service there? No. Will there be a service project? No. Will everyone get a special discipleship book? No (but you will get a hat and unlimited food). So what is the deal with this event? Why take the time and make the effort to do it?
Because together-time matters. Fun matters. Memories matter. Presence matters. Relationships matter. These are all things that feed into the parents’ ability to successfully do what God has called them to do: make disciples of their kids.
It is good to have fun together. Think about Jesus’ first miracle… He was at a party. Think about all the times we see Jesus eating with his disciples. And many of his stories feature parties. He places a high value on just being together (John 14:3). And He speaks often of fun events.
In his perfect way, Jesus leveraged time and fun for his gospel. He had many challenging and important conversations at those dinners. He showed his divine power at the party. As he spent time with his disciples, he showed them his ways. He talked while He walked.
Deuteronomy 6 tells parents to do that same thing. Parents should teach their children God’s ways on the road and at home, in the morning and at night. It says that parents should implement reminders so that families remember God as they come and go. Often an event makes space for discipleship. But even if not, events that are set apart for togetherness build relational capital that will matter in the long term.
A few hours together might yield only a few moments of explicit discipleship at that time. And there is nothing wrong with that. Why? Because together-time is an investment in a culture of family discipleship, of shared memories, of knowing one another, of trust.
So will Billy Graham be at the Flamingos game? No. But if you and your family come, I bet the Holy Spirit will use the experience for the good of your family… even if you can’t pinpoint how.
Parent Partnership: Sunday (6/4/23)
Why does Sandhurst share our lessons, videos, songs, and questions with parents? For action. Parents are the primary disciplers of their children, so we want to put you in the best position to do that. Take the tools we share and use them at home, in the car, at bedtime, and around meals. Read the stories. Sing the songs. Ask questions. Have discussions. Pray. Do it before Sunday. Do it after Sunday. Do it all the time (Deut 6:5-9). Since this is a partnership, we use shareable resources that we want you to use at home: RightNowMedia (free) for teaching, The Bible App for Kids (free), Planning Center Services (free), and The Beginner’s Gospel Story Bible.
Here’s what we’ll teach on Sunday. We’re excited that you will teach it and bring it to life at home!
Preschoolers will continue moving through the The Beginner’s Gospel Story Bible. We are looking at Story 22: Solomon Chooses Wisely. And we’ll sing 2 Timothy 3:16-17..
Elementary students will dig into Philippians 4:21-23. Here is the teaching video and lesson.
Family Prayer Prompt: God, thank you for giving us wisdom when we ask. Help us to turn to you for help. Please give us the mind of Christ: to think like you do, to love what you love, to serve like you serve. We need you. And we are grateful that you stick with us even when we get off track.
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