Ok, confession time. I'm facilitating (not leading, certainly not teaching) a class for Parents, based on Les & Leslie Parrot's book, The Parent you want to be at Liberty. The first week went well, 16 families represented - most I knew, a couple I didn't. We were a little rushed and I tended to spend a little more time in the "getting to know you" phase and some follow-up questions to the video we watched. We skimmed over the Bible study portion, we broke into groups and eventually some of us shared dinner together. In a follow-up conversation, I was encouraged to dig into the book a bit more. The workbook has good stuff. So... I did. I prepped with an eye to the key moments and edited as we went, with an eye toward one section, aptly called Grounding. It was the best part of the class - driving home the themes through Scripture.
I don't know if I was intimidated - "people are in different places in their faith, I'm not trying to ram anything down their throats" - or if I questioned a bit the applicability of the Bible study portion, whether it applied. Either way, I had inadvertently glossed over the Bible the first week (except for the wonderful descriptions in Song of Songs/Solomon - and encouraging couples to give it a read) - but not yesterday. And it stuck. And I think it stuck hard. And even if I hadn't gotten the immediate feedback from the rest of the class, it had stuck with me.
I came alive, personally, as I expounded on the Scriptures. I was engaged and excited. It hit me and I think it hit them. It was a good reminder, as John said in his sermon Sunday - "first things first".
If you're curious, it was Matthew 3:16-17, Jesus' baptism, that was the real clinching moment. Remember, at this point, Jesus had done nothing, no miracles, no sermons, no healings - and God's word to him? You are my son, I love you, I'm pleased with you. What would it look like for our children to know, without having done anything that they are loved and accepted...
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