Milestones

Life is full of milestones. Many of them pass very quickly when the kids are young and sometimes without a great deal of fanfare. Others come along more slowly as they grow, but often have a deeper impact. 

Today was one of those really great first time milestones for us. It's hard to explain how great it truly was. Today was the day we were blessed to take the Lord's Supper with the most recent additions to the Parker family tree.

The joy and beauty of teaching

Both of them had made professions of faith at camp and we've spent the past week vetting out what they understand and believe. So, today at church when the Lord's Supper was served, we got to sit with our boys and quietly explain what was happening. I had the privilege to explain to children who had never seen or heard the story how the cracker and juice represent the body and blood of Christ. How it was broken and spilled for our sins and in obediently taking these small elements we remember and proclaim the glory of that sacrifice.

Over the years we have shared ballgames, picnics, Christmas, Thanksgiving, the first day of school, and many other things with our kids. However, none of those are as eternally important as sitting there with your children as they proclaim the Lord's death and resurrection by taking the elements.

True worship

If you know me, you know I got a little emotional as I looked around to see my older son sitting with his grandmother, Tammy sitting next to one of the twins, talking him through the process, me with the other, and a wonderful long-time family friend in the middle partaking alongside us. It was truly a picture if family worship, blended, redeemed, purified, and holy before God.

Soon the boys will be baptized and we will get another opportunity to discuss with them the importance of not only the symbol, but the blessing of obedience they are taking.

This is what it's all about

By His grace, God is allowing them to become our sons in this life. Also by His grace He has already allowed them to become our brothers in Christ; adopted by us in the flesh, adopted by the Father in Christ. 

This, I believe, is the point of what James tells us in his letter about pure undefiled religion before the Lord. This is visiting the orphans in their affliction. It is more than just a bed to sleep in or clothes to wear. It is giving them the Words of Life whereby they may know, trust, and abide in Jesus Himself long after our temporal usefulness to them  has expired.

It was a glorious day.