New Church Life Jan/Feb 2015 | Page 39

           1. “Bringing the Lord to Children and Children to the Lord.” There is a famous episode from the Lord’s life recorded in three of the Gospels, where parents brought children to Him “so that He might touch them.” (Mark 10:13-16) The disciples, as you may recall, rebuked those parents, apparently thinking that the Lord was too important to be bothered with children. But the Lord said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them, for of such is the kingdom of God.” This quote, perhaps more than any others in the Word, has become a focal point for the use of New Church education. The image of the Lord surrounded by children has long been portrayed by artists. In my own family my mother did a beautiful rendition of it which hangs in my office. The Lord’s love for children is further taught in the Heavenly Doctrines, where we learn that “all children are under [His] direct care…” (Heaven and Hell 332) So it is that a team of people at the General Church central offices came up with the beautiful way of framing the use of New Church education as “Bringing the Lord to children and children to the Lord.” It is an intentional acknowledgement that the Lord wants to influence their lives, and that they have been created to have an almost innate openness to Him. Surely it is easy to see many manifestations of this goal, in classroom and home worship settings, blessings before meals, conversations about the Lord, Sunday School and so on. Every time parents take their children to church, they are bringing them to the Lord. Every time they talk to their children about the Lord, they are bringing Him to them. Perhaps obviously, the more this happens, the more children grow with the living sense that the Lord is a part of their lives. 2. “An Extension of the Home.” Another key quote from the Word that speaks to the use of New Church education comes in Deuteronomy, when the Lord was establishing His covenant with the ancient Israelites. After calling them to love the Lord their God with all their heart, soul and strength, the instruction continues, “And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when 35