The New Year is here. For many this means personal reflection and renewed commitment: what can I do to help better myself for my new year? Can I implore parents to stave off personal New Years resolutions for a moment and concentrate on their kids? In thinking about this we can look to one of the central texts of the Old Testament—if not the central text—which is Deuteronomy 6:4-6:

Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, The Lord is one. You shall love The Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And theses words shall be on your heart.

No doubt, most Christians know this verse very well. But have you ever stopped there without reading on to verses 7-9?

You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

The natural outflow of loving God with heart/soul/strength is telling others about this love, or about the object of that love. For those with young children in their families, is it too much to ask Christian parents to imbibe the the notion of teaching their children about God and his way? Indeed, is it too much to ask them to do it in the home and with regularity? Many parents work late into the night, and so making it their daily routine to read and teach the Bible to their children is more difficult (though not insurmountable). But too many parents are just lazy, too lazy to take 15 minutes of time before bed to pass the truth on to their children because they are more interested in TV and iPhone time free from distraction. We should be chided for our laziness. I want to encourage you to renew your commitment to your family this year. Let the Word be part of your daily routine. Let it be like an aroma in your house, and part of every full day: when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. Our text this week is from Luke 17:22-37, which you can read here. Songs we will sing this week include the following, provided in a playlist here: 1. Come Thou a Almighty King 2. The Solid Rock 3. 10,000 Reasons 4. O Great God.