Grandparents!

For those of you who may have been unaware, September 7 was Grandparents Day. Like Mother’s or Father’s Day, it is a day that we set aside to honor our grandparents. Oftentimes, churches will honor mothers and fathers on their special days with special recognition, a small gift of some sort and a service dedicated to them. I have heard that some churches recognize grandparents on their day, but not much more beyond that. What I am saying is that I do not recall a single sermon in all my years on the Biblical role of grandparents. That intrigued me. As I began to study the Scriptures, a certain word or concept seemed to be central to the Biblical role of grandparenting: Heritage.

For the Jews of the Old Testament, heritage was very much intertwined with physical inheritance. It was all about the Land of Israel. That was where God would bless them (Gen.12:1-3; Deut. 28:1-14). But there was also a spiritual heritage they were to pass on. One of the major roles given to grandparents in the Bible is found in Deuteronomy 4:7-10. Grandparents are to pass on the heritage of their faith to their grandchildren. Parents are called to be the primary teachers of their children, but grandparents are to be there alongside of them, reinforcing the teaching, providing the stories that come with age.

Grandparents have a unique opportunity to speak into their grandchildren’s lives in a way their parents may be unable to do. Time and experience can often bring a perspective they may not have when raising their own children. I know in my own life, God used my grandparents to make a significant spiritual impact. I would not be where I am today without them.

But I know this is not always true for everyone.  Like several grandchildren in the Bible, their grandparents(s) were anything but wise or even godly. The only heritage they passed on was one of pain and heartache. It doesn’t have to continue like that though. In Christ, a person’s heritage can be redeemed. When we trust Christ as our Savior, our family changes from a purely physical one to a spiritual one. In Christ, our past does not determine our future. Our present is in the process of being transformed and our future is assured. Therefore, the heritage we inherited from our grandparents and/or our parents does not need to be the heritage we leave to the generations who follow after us.

Proverbs 13:22 states: “A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children, but the wealth of the sinner is stored up for the righteous.” My prayer for you this day is that your heritage will be a godly one, impacting generations to come.

Pastor Shawn McLain