24 Nov, 2011
Tradition
Generations of Tradition
Decades ago when my dad was a young boy my family started a tradition that has stood the test of time. Only once in my memory has the tradition been suspended. Every yeary the men of my family gather early on Thanksgiving morning. We bundle up in the warmest clothes we can find, don our hunter orange caps and vest and with shotguns on our shoulders we begin the hunt. We walk the family farm tracking rabbits.
To some it may seem like a brutal ritual, but the truth is we haven't been very successful in a long time, because the point of the morning isn't the hunt. We gather for the time together, the hunt is just the excuse we use. The best part of hunting rabbit's is silence isn't required, it is one of the few game animals where louder is better. We walk and tell stories, stories from hunts past. My dad will tell tales from mission trips he's been on, while a family friend argues the details of those trips. We laugh and cherish the walk for the tradition. We remember the family members who have passed on and the family friends who have moved away and can no longer join the hunt.
We remember and give thanks to God for the love and lives we have known. Tradition is the point of the hunt and the stories we share are the foundation.
(Picture Provided by: http://steppenreiter.de/Korea/kema.htm)
Deuteronomy 11:18-21
New International Version (NIV)
18 Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 19 Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 20 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates, 21 so that your days and the days of your children may be many in the land the LORD swore to give your ancestors, as many as the days that the heavens are above the earth.
What does God's Story scripture teach us about the value of tradition?
Chapter 11 starts with an admonition for the people of Israel to remember that their children did not get to see everything that God had done. They didn't get to see all of the miricales that occured as the Hebrews left Egypt. The children didn't know of the discipline God had brought against Israel because of the people's hard hearts. The adults were to tell future generations about all the things that happened during the move to the promised land. They were to pass on the heritage of Israel and the greatness of God.
Today's verse speaks specifically to the need to constantly remember the works of God and pass them to future generations. Passing on the tradition would help continue the pursuit of the One True God.
How can we connect today's God's Story scripture to our lives?
Everybody loves stories and we seem to share more around this time of year.
- Write down the story of how you met Jesus.
- Tell your story to someone else.
- Find a story in the scriptures that you didn't know and share it with someone else.
How can we connect today's story, God's Story scripture , and our story to others?
People love to talk about family traditions. Those stories give you an open door to work from.
- Ask a friend to share some of their favorite holiday traditions (Be ready sometimes pain comes with these memories.)
- Share how your family traditions have impacted your life with Jesus.
- Share with your friend the new scripture story you found.
- May 2012 [14]
- April 2012 [19]
- March 2012 [21]
- February 2012 [19]
- January 2012 [18]
- December 2011 [20]
- November 2011 [15]
- October 2011 [15]
- September 2011 [14]
- August 2011 [22]
- July 2011 [19]
- June 2011 [21]
- May 2011 [20]
- April 2011 [20]
- March 2011 [21]
- February 2011 [20]
- January 2011 [21]
- December 2010 [21]
- November 2010 [21]
- October 2010 [21]
- September 2010 [22]
- August 2010 [21]
- July 2010 [22]
- June 2010 [20]
- May 2010 [18]
- April 2010 [20]
- March 2010 [23]
- February 2010 [19]
- January 2010 [22]
- December 2009 [22]
- November 2009 [21]
- October 2009 [22]
- September 2009 [21]
- August 2009 [20]
- July 2009 [21]
- June 2009 [22]
- May 2009 [18]
- April 2009 [15]
- March 2009 [7]
- February 2009 [17]
- January 2009 [20]
- December 2008 [23]
- November 2008 [19]
- October 2008 [22]
- September 2008 [22]
- August 2008 [19]
- July 2008 [22]
- June 2008 [11]
- May 2008 [19]
- April 2008 [22]
- March 2008 [21]
- February 2008 [18]
- January 2008 [20]
- December 2007 [18]
- November 2007 [15]
- October 2007 [19]
- September 2007 [18]
- August 2007 [12]
- July 2007 [12]
- June 2007 [9]
- May 2007 [11]
- April 2007 [10]
- March 2007 [11]
- February 2007 [14]
- January 2007 [7]
- December 2006 [4]
- November 2006 [13]
- October 2006 [17]
- September 2006 [11]
- August 2006 [16]
- July 2006 [10]
- June 2006 [3]
