“Who Will Tell the Children?”

I Samuel 3:1-10, II Timothy 3:10-17

Rod Pinder

May 8-9, 2004

Mothers’ Day

I was a bad dad. When my daughter, Jessica, was about six years old, we moved into a new home. At that time our house was in the country, in the middle of the woods. We lived on a dirt road, and there were no streetlights in the neighborhood. When the sun went down it was dark, and maybe a little spooky. And every night around midnight Jessi would come tip-toeing into our room and say, “Daddy, there’s ‘mosters’ outside my window.”

So night after night, I would dutifully drag myself out of bed, throw on some clothes, take a flashlight and go outside to assure her that there were no ‘mosters.” This went on every night for about three centuries. Night after night, with swarming mosquitoes, in tropical thunderstorms, even in the middle of a couple blizzards I would take my nightly trek outside Jessi’s windows to make sure there were no “mosters.”

One night, however, I was dead tired and I just wanted to sleep. You parents know how that is. Sure enough, as soon as I had drifted off I heard a little voice beside my bed. “Daddy, there are mosters outside my window.” Now I know what I ought to have done. A good father would have gone outside to give his sweet, innocent, helpless child peace of mind. But that night I was selfish. That night I didn’t want to move. So I simply said to her, “Tell them Daddy said to go away.”

Her bottom lip began to quiver. Her voice trembled as she sniffled, “Okay” and shuffled back to her room. I didn’t get the “Father of the Year” award that year, but it was the last we heard of the ‘mosters.’

In our Old Testament reading for today, Eli was a better parent than I was, though not right away. Now of course, Eli wasn’t really Samuel’s father or grandfather. Eli was the chief priest at the Tabernacle, the tent where the people of Israel came to worship in those days. Young Samuel’s parents had dedicated him to the Lord before he was born. From the time he was about two years old, Samuel had lived at the Tabernacle with Eli, ministering before the Lord. (If you don’t know the story of Samuel’s birth, read the first two chapters of I Samuel. It’s a great story.)

One night when Samuel was still a boy, he was sleeping in the Tabernacle when he heard a sound in the night. He heard a Voice call his name. So, like most children would have done, he went running to his guardian. “Here I am, you called me.”

But Eli, awakened from deep sleep, said, like so many parents would say, “I didn’t call you. Go back to bed!” Three times this happened. (At least Jessi only came into our room once a night!) The third time, however, Eli realized what was going on. He understood that little Samuel was hearing the call of God. So he told the boy, “Go back to bed, and if you hear the Voice again, say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.’”

I can just imagine little Samuel’s lower lip starting to tremble, and his voice quivering as he said “okay,” and shuffled back to his bed.

Sure enough, the fourth time the Voice called his name, “Samuel.” Or in Hebrew, Shmu-el, which means, “heard of God.” The irony here is that Samuel had indeed heard of God – he lived in the Lord’s tabernacle. Samuel had heard of God, but he didn’t know God. To him God was a concept, a character in the sacred stories, but not a real, living person. To Samuel God was someone you could know about, but not someone you could know personally. Verse 7 says, Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD: The word of the LORD had not yet been revealed to him.

You see it is possible to have a religious knowledge of the Lord but no personal knowledge of Him. On the one hand, we can tell our children about the Lord. We can tell them the stories of Moses and Joshua and Samuel. We can tell them the stories of Peter and Paul. We can tell them the story of Jesus: how when Jesus was born, God became a human being. We can teach them the parables He told and tell the stories about him calming the storm and healing the man who was born blind and casting out demons into a herd of pigs. We can tell them how He died on the cross to pay for our sins, and how He was raised from the dead to destroy sin and death. We can even tell them that if they open their hearts to Him and invite Him in, He will forgive their sins, and give them eternal life, and come into their hearts and live with them, live in them. We can tell them all these things. We can and should help our children know about the Lord, but we can’t make them know Him.

We can’t make our children know the Lord. Only the Lord Himself can do that. Samuel had heard of God, but He didn’t really know God until God spoke to him. He didn’t really know God until God made Himself known.

On the one hand, no one can really know God until God makes himself known, until God calls that person by name. “Samuel.” “L.B.” “Kayla.” “Nathan.” “Peter.” “Timmy.” “Chris.” “Cleo.” “Jean.” But on the other hand notice that when Samuel heard the voice of God, he didn’t know who was speaking to him. He thought it was Eli. (Of course many children get their parents confused with God when they’re young, but they outgrow that idea soon enough!) Young Samuel needed Eli to tell him, “My child, that’s the Voice of God you’re hearing, and this is what you need to do.”

Think of it! God was calling Samuel that night. From that night on, Samuel became a prophet. He became the last and greatest judge of Israel. He became the kingmaker who anointed Saul, the first king of Israel, and David, the great king of Israel and the ancestor of Jesus Christ, King of all kings and Lord of all lords. God was calling Samuel that night. God was changing the course of history that night, but Samuel didn’t know it. Samuel might have missed it if he hadn’t had Eli to teach him how to listen to the voice of God.

You see, children are not born with an innate, mystic knowledge of the Lord. They need to be taught. We cannot cause our children to experience God, but we can teach them how to understand that experience when it happens. We can teach them what to do about it.

We cannot make God call our children by name. God must do that in His own freedom and sovereign love. But we can teach our children how to listen to God when He speaks, and we can teach our children how important it is to obey Him.

The Bible tells us over and over again to teach our children about the Lord. For example in Deuteronomy 6:6-7 God says, “These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. ⁷ Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.”

We are to impress God’s teachings on our children, day and night, at home and away. The Bible says God wants us to tell our children about Him.

Another example. When the people of Israel entered the Promised Land, they walked through the Jordan River on dry ground. Just as God parted the Red Sea when they escaped from Egypt, so He divided the Jordan when they crossed into Canaan. And though the Jordan River was at its flood stage, God caused the flowing waters to stand up in a mighty heap when the priests stepped from the banks with the Ark of God. And the people crossed on dry ground.

Then God commanded that one man from each of the twelve tribes pick up a large boulder from the bottom of the Jordan and carry it on his shoulder to the other bank. There God told them to build a monument with the stones. He said, “In the future, when your children ask you, 'What do these stones mean?' ⁷ tell them that the flow of the Jordan was cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. These stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever.” (Joshua 4:6-7)

In other words, God says, “Be sure your children know what I have done for you, what I have done for them. Be sure they know who I am, and what I do, and how I love them.” God wants us to tell our children about Him.

That’s why we are so grateful for the members of our TEACH team and all who minister to our children in Sunday School, Y-Zone, Way Cool Kids and Ringers and Singers, Children’s Church and nursery. Their ministry is so very important. In fact, let me ask you please to stand if you serve with our children in any of those capacities. Pat Cox, Cheryl Catron, Dave Garrison, Kerry Garrison, Don Brown, Lorna Betteridge, Richard Poppa, Pat Pinder, Ginny Ubels, Jessi Pinder, Erica Ubels, Kristen Dunkley, Bruce Chartrand, Mary Ferguson, Christine Talbert, Bob Seltzer and Jennifer Haddad. Thank you. (Applause.)

Thank you. There is no one, anywhere else in the world, who is doing anything more significant than what you are doing here. Oh, what President Bush does is pretty important, I’ll grant you. But you, you are teaching our children about the Lord, and for that we appreciate you far more than we could ever tell you.

And by the way, no one should get the impression that, because so many wonderful people stood up and were mentioned, we don’t need more help in our Youth Ministry. We are still short-handed, and if you can help even in small ways with this important ministry, please contact Jennifer Haddad. Her phone number is on the back of the bulletin, next to the word “TEACH.”

Yet it really isn’t up to our Sunday School and Youth Ministries to teach the children about the Lord. Or at least it isn’t up to them alone. First and foremost, that’s the sacred privilege and responsibility of parents. The church cannot do in two or three hours a week what parents and guardians can and should do day in and day out. We’re not there when they lie down and when they get up, when they go out and when they come in. Parents need to tell their children about the Lord.

Parents, let me state the obvious in the starkest terms. Softball is fine. Soccer is fine. Scouts are fine. 4-H is fine. Ballet is fine. Music lessons and band are fine. But they are not of ultimate importance. Furthermore, homework is good for a child. And chores are good for a child. And travel and cultural experiences are good for a child. But even those things are not of ultimate importance. Those things will fade away. Those things will at best become fond memories when children grow old. But the things of the Lord last forever. The Lord’s Word, the Lord’s truth, the Lord’s love, these are the things that last for all eternity. These are the things that give life true joy and purpose and significance here and now. So parents, you who love your children so dearly, you who love your children with an everlasting love, be sure you teach them about the One who is everlasting. More than soccer or saxophone or the S.A.T.’s, teach your children about the Lord. Let that be your first priority.

You know one of the things I loved about vacation when my kids were little? I loved taking them to church. We never missed church when we were on vacation. Okay, almost never. And one reason we did that is that I loved the privilege of sitting with my kids in church. You see, I never get to do that. I didn’t teach my kids how follow the lines of a hymn. I think Mary Ferguson did that. I didn’t get to teach my kids to bow their heads when we pray or stand up when we say the Creed, or to sit and be quiet and TRY to listen to the preacher. I didn’t get to teach them to draw on the bulletins, but not on the hymnals. Only on vacation did I get the chance to do those things, and I really looked forward to it.

But most of you have the privilege of doing that every Sunday. How I envy you. Don’t miss that opportunity. When your children are young, send them to nursery or Sunday school or children’s church. But once they get old enough that they really can pay attention for an hour or so if they try – once they’re in second or third grade, keep them with you in the service and teach them how to worship God. I know they can be distracting, but what a wonderful opportunity for you and for them!

Further, parents, teach your children about the Lord at home. Read Bible stories to them. Pray with them and teach them how to pray. Let them see you reading your Bible, and praying, and serving the Lord.

In our New Testament reading today the Apostle Paul says to the young pastor, Timothy, “But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, ¹⁵and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.” (II Timothy 3:14-15.) Isn’t that awesome? From infancy Timothy had known the holy Scriptures. From the time he was a baby he was exposed to the teachings of the Bible. And II Timothy 1:15 indicates who it was who taught him these things: Eunice and Lois, his mother and grandmother.

What a marvelous image for Mother’s Day! Picture Lois and Eunice teaching little Timothy about Jesus. What better thing could a mother, grandmother, or any parent do?

Now of course, we can’t teach our children what we don’t know ourselves, can we? That’s one of the reasons we have the A.C.T.I.O.N. Academy, to help adults grow in their faith and understanding. And particularly, parents, you might want to join Mike Haddad’s small group on Monday nights. They just started a study called “Growing Kids God’s Way.” See me or Mike for more details about that.

And yet teaching children about the Lord isn’t solely the responsibility of parents. It is primarily their mission, but all of us are called to participate. It takes the whole church, the whole community of faith to teach a child about the Lord.

At the 9:00 service this weekend we’re going to baptize baby Clarke Bandy. I’m going to hold him in my arms and, on your behalf and on behalf of the whole Church, I’m going to put water on his head and say, “Clarke Bandy, child of the covenant, I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”

Together we will claim God’s promise that the Holy Spirit will be at work in little Clarke’s life, for Scripture says, “The promise is to you and to your children and to all that are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls.” (Acts 2:39) Together we will declare that someday we fully expect the same Voice that said “Samuel, Samuel” to say, “Clarke, Clarke.”

And then the congregation will say, [on your behalf, and] on behalf of the whole Church, “With joy and thanksgiving, we welcome you into Christ’s church, for we are all one in Christ. We promise to love, encourage and support you, to share the Good News of the Gospel with you, and to help you know and follow Christ.”

Now please understand, those words are sacred vows. They are like wedding vows. They’re binding. They’re an oath. They are a promise before Almighty God. And we will make that promise to Clarke, just as we have made it to so many other children and adults over the years. We promise to invest our lives in the lives of these children. We promise to teach them what to do when the Lord calls them by name.

But how do we do that? Well as we mentioned, one way we do it is by participating in children’s ministries. Help out with Sunday School or Y-Zone or Way Cook Kids. Help out with Nursery or Children’s Church. Let’s make those ministries totally dynamic!

Let me digress for a minute here. Do you know how many elementary schools are just a short drive from the church? Waterford, Camelot, Sunrise, Avalon, Bonneville, Columbia. At least 6 elementary schools. All of them are closer to the church than my house is. And all of those schools are over crowded. We can’t build schools fast enough to keep up with the number of children who are being born or moving into this area.

Have you ever gotten caught behind a school bus on Woodbury Road? It can take half an hour to drive from Lake Underhill to East Colonial right after school gets out. That’s how many children live right here on Woodbury Road. Good Lord, it can take 15 minutes just for the bus to unload in front of these apartments right next door to us. This area is crawling with kids. Infested with God’s precious little children.

Now let me ask you a question. When God calls those children by name, who is going to tell them how to answer? Who is charged with that responsibility. Their parents? Certainly. But what if their parents don’t know? What if their parents have never been taught about the Lord? Or what if they have drifted away from Him? What if their parents don’t know what to do when God calls your name? Whose job is it to tell those children? You know the answer, don’t you? It’s burning in your heart right now. It’s our job. It’s our job to tell the children. Through Sunday School and Vacation Bible School and Way Cool Kids and Camp Woodbury and all those other ministries. It’s our job to be Eli to their Samuel, and to teach them how to say, “Speak, Lord, your servant is listening.” Please participate. We need your help. The children need your help.

But we teach the children, not only through educational programs, but through example as well. Kids learn by observation. Don’t they? I remember my parents taking a long drag off a cigarette and saying, “Son, never start smoking.” Now they knew what they were talking about. They knew how badly smoking made them feel. They knew how hard it was to quit once you got started. And they told me that. So I took their advice – until I was sixteen years old and started smoking a pipe. Children learn by example.

So on the one hand, if the children see us in the movie store, renting inappropriate material, we’re teaching the children. And if they hear us gossip about someone, especially about a brother or sister in Christ, we’re teaching the children. And if they look for us on Sunday morning, but we’re not here because it was such a good day to sleep in or go to the beach, we’re teaching the children. We’re teaching them how to live for the Lord, the same way my parents taught me not to smoke.

On the other hand, when they see you studying your Bible, you’re teaching the Children. When they see you serving on an A.C.T.I.O.N. team, you’re teaching the children. When they see you praying together, or giving up your Saturday to work on a Habitat for Humanity house, or being friendly to someone who needs a friend, you’re teaching the children. When they see you sharing rich fellowship in your small groups, and hugging each others’ necks after church, or in the grocery store, you’re teaching the children. When they hear me say the food pantry is empty and they see you go shopping, and they see that through your generosity the food pantry is replenished, you are teaching the children. When they see you go on a mission trip, or help others go on a mission trip, you are teaching the Children. You are teaching them what to do when the Lord calls them by name. You are teaching them how to say, “Speak, Lord, your servant is listening.

We are surrounded by children. From birth to college age, they’re all around us. They are in our families. They’re in our church. They’re all over our neighborhood. Rich ones, poor ones, skinny ones, chubby ones in a beautiful kaleidoscope of colors. Precious children of God are all around us. And they are children who need the Lord.

Now, we cannot make God speak to them. We can’t make them know the Lord. The Holy Spirit has to do that. But I believe that for each child we see, God will one day call that child by name. “Alaina.” “Amanda.” “Emily” “Perri” “Michael” “Ryan.” “Austin.” “Andreas” “Christian” “Celeste.” “Nikki.” “Juan.” God will call them by name. Who will teach them how to answer? Who will show them how to say, “Speak, Lord, your servant is listening.”

It may well be that the next Samuel, or Billy Graham, or Mother Teresa is in this room, or in the nursery, or in the apartments next door right now. I believe there are children among us for whom God has mighty, wonderful, significant things planned, children whom He will use to change the world. Who will tell them about the Lord? Who will be an Eli for them? You already know the answer, don’t you? It’s burning in your heart right now. For in this moment the Lord is calling you and me to teach the children.

And how do we answer His call? Together let’s say to Him, “Speak, Lord. Your servant is listening.” Together, let’s obey His call. Amen.