Obedience

It seems like most of us don’t like to hear the word obedience.  There is something about that word that makes us think back to our days of childhood when it seemed like everyone was telling us what to do all the time.  Obedience was one of the reasons many of us wanted to grow up, so no one would be telling us what to do all the time.  After all, maybe it is OK to have chocolate cake for breakfast… at least every once in a while.   And what is really wrong with “forgetting” to make your bed every now and then…. Or maybe a week?  But the surprising thing is that, as adults, we still follow rules.  There are some rules we follow without even thinking about them.  After all, who of us would intentionally spray Windex in our eyes or reuse that bottle of drain cleaner to store beverages?  Why do we follow these rules?  Well, they are pretty good rules to live by, aren’t they?  The people who make Windex know something about it’s chemical properties that I might not fully understand.  Since they are selling me their product they feel like they have a sense of duty to help me use their product safely and they don’t want me to get it in my eyes. The people who make drain cleaner know that their product, while able to clean a clogged kitchen sink, can be deadly if I drink it, or reuse the container to drink from.  OK, maybe they just don’t want me to sue them.  But there are also people in my life who have authority over me--I have a boss.  I obey the laws in my area.  I wear a seat belt when I drive.  I do these things because I trust that the people who have authority over me have put these rules in place for my protection.

This month in Sunday Morning Children’s Worship we are going to be talking about the word obedience.  It’s not that we want children to simply comply with all the rules we create but we want children to see the value of trusting those who have authority over them.  That is why we are saying, obedience is trusting those who lead you by doing what you’re asked to.  Somewhere along the way we need to make sure the kids who grow up in our church and in our homes understand why it’s important to obey and that how they obey their leaders reflects what they think about God.  Our memory verse this month is Hebrews 13:17 NIrV, “Obey your leaders.  Put yourselves under their authority.  They keep watch over you.  They know they are accountable to God for everything they do.” Our goal as parents and children’s leaders is to somehow make sure children know that God is somehow involved in putting people over them, that God has a plan for authority, and knows more than we know, and honestly cares for our well being.  We want kids to grow up trusting God because God knows more than they know, and God loves them unconditionally.

So why is it important for you as a parent or children’s leader to teach your children obedience?  To teach children to trust those who lead them by doing what they are asked to do?  Well, for at least 2 reasons.  First, we want every child to understand what it means to live under the umbrella of authority and protection when it comes to their safety and their future.  Second, most of these children are going to grow up, have their own families, become leaders in their own organizations.  Their ability to follow authority will determine how well they are able to lead.  So this month in children’s worship we are doing one thing: teaching children to obey by trusting those who lead them by doing what they are asked to do.   See you Sunday!