November 22
Luke 1:53-55
Scripture: “He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful to Abraham and his descendants forever, just as he promised to our ancestors.”
Welcome
Promises have been a big topic of conversation in our house. To pull out a definition from Webster’s, a promise is defined as “a declaration or assurance that one will do a particular thing.” Recently, in fits of frustration, my older children have accused me of breaking promises. Events that prompt them to say this range from:
Changing circumstances throughout the day (I know, child X, that I promised you yesterday could eat that cupcake for dessert tonight, but you already had 3 cookies today.)
Unspoken expectations (child X has been looking forward to riding bikes all day, but child X has not voiced this until it is 5:00, and now we are headed inside for dinner.)
My forgetfulness! (I promised child X I would buy said snack at the grocery. I forgot.)
Each time they make such a claim against me, I have to pause and do a self assessment. Some things are out of my control, but despite life’s changing circumstances and my forgetful mind, I want to be trustworthy. I want to be someone like Jesus describes in Matthew 5:37, letting my yes be yes. So, in my inevitable shortcomings, I can rest in the truth that God never breaks His promises. What a comfort in a world full of unknowns!
As you look at this week’s passage, we can remember what it is that God promises to Abraham. This can be found in Genesis 15 where God promises to make him the father of many nations. This prompts us to think about what God has promised to us. When we look to scripture and remind ourselves of what He has promised to us, we can approach life’s disappointments not with bitterness and entitlement, but with confidence and hope.
Specifics and Logistics
While each age group has specific questions, here are the broadly intended areas of focus for each group…
Littles:
Littles are looking at Abraham and what it means to make a promise.
Bigs:
Bigs are looking at the “hunger” piece of the vs. 53. What does spiritual hunger look like? Also Bigs are thinking about God’s promises to Abraham and to us.
Grownups:
As with the ones above, we are looking at hunger and promises. An additional aspect we will look at is the way Mary talks about God remembering His people.
User Update
We gathered around our den with semi-sleepy children, mismatched marker tops, coloring sheets, and the Bible. As I said earlier, promises have been a point of conversation in our house, so it was particularly meaningful to sit and discuss this week’s questions. We filtered through some misconceptions about promises and landed with defining a promise as remembering to do what you say. They said God promises to take care of us and to love us. In this definition we acknowledged our shortcomings as parents and praised God for His mercy!
My favorite moment of our time together was when we asked if anyone knew who Abraham was and one child replied, “Yeah he knew God would take care of him even though he had the bumpy land.” Before you see this as my flex on my children’s biblical literacy, I acknowledge this was something he learned in Sunday School, and before I went to bed I had to go back and reread Genesis 13 to remind myself what in the world he meant. It was a great reminder for me of the importance of church community and the blessing of having faithful servants in our church. Their investments will continue to bear fruit!
Thanks for sticking with us at FortheFours as we wrap up our first month together. Next week we will begin our Advent series looking at Zechariah’s song. I hope these resources are a helpful jumping off point as you approach scripture with your family. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving and remember God’s promises to you, even if life is feeling a little bumpy.
Love,
Anne
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