Proverbs 3: 1-24
1 My son, do not forget my teaching,
but keep my commands in your heart,
2 for they will prolong your life many years
and bring you prosperity.
3 Let love and faithfulness never leave you;
bind them around your neck,
write them on the tablet of your heart.
4 Then you will win favor and a good name
in the sight of God and man.
5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
6 in all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make your paths straight.
7 Do not be wise in your own eyes;
fear the LORD and shun evil.
8 This will bring health to your body
and nourishment to your bones.
9 Honor the LORD with your wealth,
with the firstfruits of all your crops;
10 then your barns will be filled to overflowing,
and your vats will brim over with new wine.
11 My son, do not despise the LORD’s discipline
and do not resent his rebuke,
12 because the LORD disciplines those he loves,
as a father the son he delights in.
13 Blessed is the man who finds wisdom,
the man who gains understanding,
14 for she is more profitable than silver
and yields better returns than gold.
15 She is more precious than rubies;
nothing you desire can compare with her.
16 Long life is in her right hand;
in her left hand are riches and honor.
17 Her ways are pleasant ways,
and all her paths are peace.
18 She is a tree of life to those who embrace her;
those who lay hold of her will be blessed.
19 By wisdom the LORD laid the earth’s foundations,
by understanding he set the heavens in place;
20 by his knowledge the deeps were divided,
and the clouds let drop the dew.
21 My son, preserve sound judgment and discernment,
do not let them out of your sight;
22 they will be life for you,
an ornament to grace your neck.
23 Then you will go on your way in safety,
and your foot will not stumble;
24 when you lie down, you will not be afraid;
when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.
Baptism of Charlotte Shield 06-06-08
Story: When Allied troops captured a young American fighting for the Taliban in Afghanistan, in 2001 a major American newspaper wrote the following:
“The parents of John Walker Lindh, the child of privilege turned Taliban terrorist didn’t put their foot down when he announced that he was going to drop out of school and when he decided to become a Muslim.
Indeed they were actually proud of him for pursuing an alternative course.
His mother said it was “good for a child to find a passion”.
They didn’t object when he asked them to pay his way to Yemen, nor when his new circle of friends included gunmen.
As long as he could remember, his oh- so- progressive parents had answered “Yes” to his every whim. The only thing they insisted on was that nothing was insisted on..
“Newsweek” called it ‘truly perplexing’ that Walker was attracted to this narrow intolerant sect.”
The newspaper went on to say:
“There’s nothing perplexing about it.
He craved standards and discipline. Mum and Dad didn’t offer any; the Taliban did.
If his parents had been less concerned with open mindedness and more concerned with developing their son’s moral judgement, he wouldn’t have ended up where he did.
His road to ruin didn’t begin in Afghanistan, it began with his parents who never said “No!”.
(My thanks for the story goes to “Word for Today” Wed, Sept 4th 2002)
I don’t usually find Newsweek very perceptive – but I think this time they were spot on
How we bring our children up WILL determine to a great extent how they turn out
This morning Chris and Emma have come here because they want to say that they intend to bring Charlotte up in the Christian faith.
And so I would like to speak on the Old Testament reading from Proverbs and to touch on a couple of the verses:
1. A morally good upbringing
The first verse is:
“My son, do not forget my teaching,
But let your heart keep my commandments”
(Pr. 3:1)
TS Eliot wrote in Four Quartets:
“In my beginning is my end”
In other words, the input of parents into the early life of a child will generally determine the pattern of life for years to come.
The most obvious input of the Christian faith is its moral teaching.
The book of Proverbs is full of this.
For example, it will be very important to teach Charlotte right from wrong and how to choose the company she keeps.
2. A disciple of Christ
The second verse that I would like to look at from our Proverbs reading this morning is this:
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding” (Pr. 3:5)
The Christian faith is more than moral teaching.
It is about learning to put our trust in God
It is more than believing in God
It is becoming a disciple, a follower of Christ.
What is the difference?.
Story: In 1859, the famous tioght rope artist Blondin spanned a tightrope across the Niagara Falls from the USA to Canada
He the proceeded to walk across it with a wheelbarrow in front of him.
Having reached the other side, he stepped down to the applause of the crowd.
He went up to members of the crowd and asked: "Do you believe that I can walk back on that rope without falling off?"
"Yes" they each replied.
"Do you really believe I can make" he asked.
"Yes" they replied. "We’ve just seen you do it"
"Then" said Blondin "Get in the wheelbarrow we are going back across".
"Oh no" they replied "It is far too dangerous".
They believe he could do it – but they wouldn’t TRUST him.
This is the difference between simply a believer and being a disciple.
We might believe in the existence of God.
We might believe that we are sinners and that Christ died to save us from our sins
We might believe he rose again and is alive
But in the Bible belief is more – it means action.
It means to trust God with our lives
To be his disciple requires us to get into the wheelbarrow.
That is the challenge of Christian baptism
Jesus put it evry well in a parable:
He said this
24"Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash." (Mt 7:25-27)
We need to put into practice Jesus teaching in our lives.
That requires both prayer and Bible Study and coming to Church and the presence of the Holy Spirit within us
And I would encourage Emma and Chris to bring Charlotte to church regularly
3. Prayer
So what can we do practically for Charlotte.
Some of you will be an active influence Charlotte’s life.
Others will not have that close relationship with her.
However we can all pray for Charlotte
We can pray that God will fill her with his Holy Spirit
We can pray that when she is old enough to decide for herself - she will take up her baptismal vows and decide to become a disciple of Jesus.
Story: My Aunty Molly was a Roman Catholic nun. She used to pray regularly for me and others my family.
For 17 years of my life, it seemed as if her prayers were unanswered.
Yet at the beginning of Jan 1972, I met God personally at a conference in Oxford and decided to become a committed Christian – a disciple of Christ.
And later on my sister Sue followed suit.
So I would like to encourage you all to pray for Charlotte and do not give up.
You may think that your prayers are getting nowhere. But don’t give up.
Prayer is extremely important because God has chosen to work through prayer.
In conclusion may I challenge you, as Charlotte’s family and friends, to
1. Pray for her
2. Make sure she is given a good moral upbringing and
3. Make sure she becomes a disciple of Jesus
May I leave you with a prayer from Sir Francis Drake who said this:
O Lord God, when you give your servants to endeavour in any great matter, grant us also to know that it is not the beginning but the
continuing of the same to the end until it is thoroughly finished, which yields the true glory through him, who for the finishing of your work, laid down his life, Our Redeemer Jesus Christ - Sir Francis Drake (1540-1596)
