Deuteronomy 6:4-7 Hear, O Israel: The LORD is our God, the LORD alone. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might. Keep these words that I am commanding you today in your heart. Recite them to your children and talk about them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you rise. n
nI benefited from parents and grandparents who grounded me in the faith and recited God’s words to me at home and away, at bedtime and when rising. I want to provide that for Jane and her sibling.
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nFor example, Jane loves to hear the Christmas story. We don’t participate in the Santa myth, so the Christmas story for her is and always has been the story of Jesus’ birth. It doesn’t have to be December for her to ask to hear me tell it again. There’s power in telling and retelling this story, and even though I don’t always feel like telling any story I try to indulge her when she asks. When I asked her to draw what she thought of when I say “Walk to Bethlehem” she gave me two figures – Joseph and Mary walking to Bethlehem, no extra explanation needed.
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nPrayer: Be with us, Lord, during this holy season of Advent. Help us tell your greatest story to our children in ways that make it real for them. Fix our hearts and minds on you as we take this walk to Bethlehem. Amen.
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nMari Walker
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