Give heed, my people, to my teaching;
turn your ear to the words of my mouth.
I will open my mouth in a parable
and reveal hidden lessons of the past.
The things we have heard and understood,
the things our parents have told us,
these we will not hide from their children
but will tell them to the next generation:
the glories of the Lord and his might
and the marvelous deeds he has done,
the witness he gave to Jacob,
the law he established in Israel.
He gave a command to our forebears
to make it known to their children
that the next generation might know it,
the children yet to be born.
They too should arise and tell their children
that they too should set their hope in God
and never forget God’s deeds
but keep every one of his commands,
so that they might not be like their ancestors,
a defiant and rebellious race,
a race whose heart was fickle,
whose spirit was unfaithful to God.
Still they put God to the proof and defied him;
they refused to obey the Most High.
They strayed, faithless like their ancestors,
like a bow on which the archer cannot count.
With their mountain shrines they angered him;
made him jealous with the idols they served.
God saw this and was filled with fury:
he utterly rejected Israel.
He forsook his dwelling place in Shiloh,
the tent where he lived among mortals.
He gave his ark into captivity,
his glorious ark into the hands of the foe.
He gave up his people to the sword,
in his anger against his chosen ones.
So war devoured their young men,
their maidens had no wedding songs;
their priests fell by the sword,
and their widows made no lament.
Then the Lord awoke as if from sleep,
like a warrior overcome with wine.
He struck his foes from behind
and put them to everlasting shame.
He rejected the tent of Joseph;
He did not choose the tribe of Ephraim
but he chose the tribe of Judah,
the hill of Zion which he loves.
He built his shrine like the heavens,
or like the earth which he made firm for ever.
And he chose David his servant
and took him away from the sheepfolds.
From the care of the ewes he called him
to be shepherd of Jacob his people,
Of Israel is own possession.
He tended them with blameless heart,
with discerning mind he led them.
Reflection
It is said that the Christian faith is more often caught than taught. We can probably give examples of people from a non-religious or agnostic upbringing who have come to faith, often later in life. Indeed, for many of our churches, such people infuse new life into our active membership. But what is often missing in many of our churches is the children and grandchildren of members. With some notable exceptions, our teaching of the Christian faith to our children has not formed them to the extent that they have caught personal faith in God that is expressed in active Church membership.
The early verses of Psalm 78 emphasize the critical role of storytelling in encouraging the faith of future generations. The author reminds us that the accounts of God’s help and faithfulness should not remain confined to the past but must be actively imparted to children today. Telling the story of God’s gracious character and covenantal love is pivotal if each generation is to set their hope in God and keep his commandments.
However, today when sensational stories clamour for our attention, the story of God’s gracious activity is comparatively mysterious. It is a story that becomes meaningful only when discerned through the eyes of faith. Children discover the reality of trusting God through parents modelling this trust in a believing family. Faith is something a child sees, or perhaps better, feels when the child notices parents and siblings praying at home, worshipping in public, and engaging in Christian service.
A child growing up with family and, as importantly, peers who locate their stories within God’s encompassing story is more likely to find God’s story persuasive. The centre of this story is the mystery that the good and gracious God loves each one of us. This God chooses us in Jesus Christ to be his beloved covenant partners. Especially when faith ebbs and confidence wanes, God constantly shepherds us to be his faithful flock.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, help us to share your story of love and faithfulness with future generations. Grant us the wisdom to model trust in you through our actions and words. Let our children and grandchildren see and feel your presence in our lives, so they too may grow in faith and become active members of your Church. Guide us by your grace and covenant love revealed in the Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.