Greetings to the members of New Jersey Mar Thoma Church, Randolph,
We have entered the final quarter of the year 2013, and this is a time to thank God for His blessings, mercy, and grace upon us. It is also a time where we think about our lives, and see how we can be more creative and productive in God’s kingdom.
As far as the church and lectionary is concerned, October is an important month. Each Sunday is important as it commemorates different ministries of the church. The first Sunday is for the ‘Mar Thoma Evangelistic Association,’ (Edavaka Mission), Differently Abled Sunday, Youth Sunday, and Family Dedication Sunday. The world and the situations and experiences of humankind today are changing drastically, and so the ministry of the church must address these changes and the needs of all amidst the complexities.
As we celebrate the theme, Family Life as a church this month, it is important to examine our family life, and the way we are raising up our children in the faith. We raise our children with the ambition/in order to see them become successful in life. We want what is best for them, and we will work hard to ensure they receive the various opportunities. Parents will work hard to make sure their children receive the best education available letting them study up to Bachelor’s, Master’s, Ph.D, Post-Doc, research levels, etc. But have we given the same emphasis with Christian Education?
In the Hebrew culture, the father or the head of the household would teach the children about their faith, before allowing the children to do anything else. First priority was to faith and faith education; then only will children be sent out from the home into the world. When the process took place in this order, children would be aware of things learnt at home, this would remain in their minds and be a rich asset as they faced various experiences and challenges in the world. This is explained in Deuteronomy 11:18-21, where the importance of children in the faith is highlighted. Proverbs 22:6 says, “Train a child the way he should go and when he is old he will not turn from it.” We as a faith community are given the responsibility to raise our children and youths up in the faith. That is the represented through our participation in Holy Baptism. In the Baptism liturgy, we are reminded that we as a faith community have the responsibility to bring that particular child in the faith. Today, there are many challenges that we as Christians, and our younger generation faces, and we as a faith community must be a support system, especially for those going through these various predicaments. This is vital to the mission of the church.
Transmit the faith of our forefathers to our children. It is not ONLY the role of the Sunday School teachers to teach the faith. Parents are to make the effort. If we do not teach our children and youths our faith and tradition, who will? What will be the ‘climate’ of the church in the next generation? Can we sow the seeds of faith during our lifetime? Just as we tell stories about the faith of our parents, what faith stories can our younger generation say about us?
We have reached a critical point in our faith history, and honest thinking and creative responses are necessary. May we use our time faithfully make decisions about our faith, and re-organize our faith so that we can be a faithful witness to Christ in this world.
May the blessings of the Triune God be with you all!
Yours in His ministry,
Rev. Dennis Abraham (Youth Chaplain)