Today, the first Sunday after Labor Day, is Grandparents’ Day, 2014. The day was first recognized back in 1978 after several folks, led by Marian McQuade, of West Virginia, first came up with the idea of setting aside a day to celebrate the contributions that our older citizens have made to the community and also provide an opportunity for our youth to understand a little more about seniors throughout history. It became an opportunity for grandparents to show their love for their children’s children. So it is a day of celebration for everyone. Within three years of the original petition to recognize the day, more than 43 states had adopted the day of recognition. Jimmy Carter was President when the bill wa signed.
In the Jewish tradition, learning about the family and honoring your elders was a very important part of the culture. In fact, both Matthew and Luke list genealogies as a part of establishing credibility for their readers. It was vitally important to honor the elder members of the family and that is the way that I was raised as well. Nowadays, society tends to be much different from what it was when I was a boy, but that’s something that will become the topic for another time.
The point here is that grandparents are important. It wasn’t so many years ago that I was sitting on the knee of my grandfather and now I am in the position of being the elder one. My, how time flies. The verse for this evening is the main verse in the Scripture that has to do with honoring grandparents. And it appears in the book of 1 Timothy as Paul is writing to his young pastor friend. We are told, in 1 Timothy 5:4, “But if a widow has children or grandchildren, these should learn first of all to put their religion into practice by caring for their own family and so repaying their parents and grandparents, for this is pleasing to God.” My encouragement this evening that while parents are very important, grandparents are also to be honored. That’s no joke. My prayer is that you may continue to reach out to parents or grandparents and show your appreciation for what they have done for you and the family in general. If you happen to be in the elder position, as I am, then it’s another chance to love your grandchildren well, reminding them perhaps that you were young once yourself! Have a great day in the Lord, grace and peace…