Title: The Lord's Reward / Psalm 127:3-5
Psalm 127:3 - 5
Children are a gift from the Lord, and the fruit in the womb is a reward from the Lord. A child born in youth is like an arrow in the hand of a warrior, and blessed is a warrior whose quiver is full of such arrows. They will not be put to shame when they contend with their enemies at the gates.
2 Timothy 1:3-5
I give thanks to the God whom I serve with a pure conscience, as I have done since my forefathers, constantly remembering you in prayer day and night. Remembering your tears, I want to see you, that my joy may be full. I remember your unfeigned faith. That belief was first in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice, and I am sure that it also dwells in you.
Luke 2:51-52
Jesus went down with his parents, returned to Nazareth, and lived in obedience to them. The mother of Jesus kept all these things in her heart. Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and he was more loved by God and men.
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Today is the first Sunday in May, the month of family, and also Children's Sunday. The reason why the church holds worship on Children's Sunday is to raise awareness of the importance of our children and to request special attention from parents and adults to children. However, as the economic situation worsens in recent years, our children, including children and adolescents, are suffering like never before. Desperate parents assault their children and even commit suicide with their children. As families disperse, more and more parents are abandoning their children in orphanages or shelters. Homeless children and young people are going the wrong way, and children who are pessimistic about reality have jumped out of their apartments to take their own lives. In addition, there are naughty adults who kidnap children and sell them to entertainment establishments. After all, the unhappiness of young children is primarily the responsibility of parents and adults. And the cause of that responsibility is the problem with the awareness and education of children and adolescents by adults.
According to the first text, Psalm 127, children are God's gift and reward. Just as the land of Canaan became an inheritance that the Israelites inherited from their ancestors, their children also become an inheritance God gave them to pass on from generation to generation. From the point of view of King Solomon, the author of this psalm, children are the result of God's mysterious creative act, not the product of human instincts, institutions, or opportunities. Because opening the womb so that it can produce children is one of God's ways of rewarding His faithful people. God demonstrates clearly his love for man by rewarding him with children. Therefore, every family should regularly teach and train their children to show faith and loyalty toward God and responsibility and service toward people. By doing so, they must make their children, who are God's heritage and their heirs, grow well according to God's will.
The second text, Luke 2, describes the growth of Jesus as a boy. It can be said that the growth process of a character's childhood and boyhood has a decisive influence on his personality and life. All living things grow, mature, and undergo change. The text of Luke 2 describes five aspects of Jesus' growth. When Jesus said “he grew taller” he meant physical growth, and when he said “he grew taller,” he was referring to intellectual and mental maturity. “I obeyed my parents” implies an ethical and moral character, and “beloved by people” means social maturity in his interpersonal relationships. And the reference to “beloved by God” refers to Jesus’ spiritual maturity. In this way, the Bible shows that Jesus became a harmonious person as a human being by showing even growth and maturity in physical, mental, ethical, social and spiritual aspects.
A child is a child of God who is born of unclean mother's blood and is entrusted by God's grace before becoming the property of their parents. Therefore, it is necessary to nurture and educate with love and responsibility. For this reason, Christian parents' education should be conducted according to the truth and character of Christ and the Word of God, not according to their own human desires or worldly values. Above all, parents should be the link between God and their children.