“Spiritually Vibrant Homes” – Week 1
Zion’s Fall 2020 – Stewardship Theme
Last week I shared in our newsletter that God cares not only about individuals but also about entire households. The Bible refers to households 2,100 times! Find my introduction to this topic here.
On Sunday, I shared in my sermon some key Christian disciplines that when practiced together in a household (not just independently) make for a Spiritually Vibrant Home. Find that sermon here.
(First, I have to give credit and praise to Lutheran Hour Ministries and the Barna Group for what I’m going to share below. Fantastic! Check out the book and links below)
Some themes that stand out as we look at those 2,100 uses of the word “household” in the Bible:
1) God sees households. Not just us individuals, God is paying attention to and caring for our households.
2) Households often rise and fall together. This isn’t a hard-and-fast rule but we see the effect household members have on each other, for better or for worse. (God wants the better! and probably has you there just for that purpose.)
3) God works through households. We often remember individual names “heros of faith” whose lives are impacted and used by God throughout history. Notice also that God often uses entire households. (Noah wasn’t the only person who helped build and who was saved in the ark. So were his wife and sons and their wives!)
Get Ready to Try Something New
Since COVID separation is persisting and has no end in sight, let’s all try something new at home as Zion households of faith. Let’s each add something from each of these three areas to our home life:
Wondering what this all means? Don’t worry, this is what we will be examining at Zion in a variety of ways this fall. We will find insight and inspiration in God’s Word for the salvation and spiritual vibrance of our households.
- Week 1 beginning October 4 – “A Harvest for Eternal Joy” (Philippians 3:12)
- Week 2 beginning October 11 – “Homes of Messy Prayers” (Philippians 4:6)
- Week 3 beginning October 18 – “Homes with Open Doors” (Luke 10:5)
- Week 4 beginning October 25 – “Homes of Loud Tables” (1 Thessalonians 2:4)
- Week 5 beginning November 1 – “Homes of Eternal Love” (Matthew 5:12)
- Zion’s Consecration Sunday will be November 8th. (More about that later)
God richly bless you and your households today and all this week!
in Christ’s peace,
Pastor Stephen
Want to dig deep into the research behind our fall series? The basis for our study this fall is The Spiritually Vibrant Home: The Power of Messy Prayers, Loud Tables, and Open Doors by Don Everts.
The Senior VP of Research at Barna Group explains, “The Spiritually Vibrant Home unpacks the research and what it all means for our households. This book provides Christians with a roadmap to developing intentional rhythms that nurture their spirit, honor their heavenly Father, and pass on their faith to the next generation.”
Find this book and related resources developed by the Barna Group and Lutheran Hour Ministries at https://www.lhm.org/households/