Scripture reading: Exodus Exodus 12:21-27.

Sermon text: Matthew 19:1-15.

“Why is this night different from all other nights?” Every Passover meal for centuries has begun with this question. Traditionally, the youngest child present has asked this question of his father, who then fulfills the commandment of Moses’ words in the passage from Exodus: “when your children say to you, ‘What do you mean by this service?’ you shall say, ‘It is the sacrifice of the LORD’s Passover, for he passed over the houses of the people of Israel in Egypt, when he struck the Egyptians but spared our houses.’ ”

Today, we dedicated 2 children to the service of God; their parents have joined this congregation to commit to raise this children in the love and instruction of God, in the hopes they will one day believe in Jesus themselves, confessing Him as Lord of their lives. This dedication does not guarantee salvation, but it does mean we will do our parts to instruct our precious children in the words of Scripture and the lifestyle we expect of all who confess Jesus as Lord and live in His love.

Today’s sermon passage reminds us of the importance their families will have in this process. I must believe that St. Matthew, as he composed his Gospel, sensed the Holy Spirit’s leading in placing the incident of the children immediately after Jesus’ teachings on marriage and divorce. Simply put, Jesus understood the importance of marriage in the faith of the children.

Jesus found Himself in the middle of a debate between 2 schools of Pharisees. One school, founded by Hillel, believed a man could divorce his wife for any reason, no matter how insignificant. Another school, associated with rabbi Shammai, believed a man had no right whatever to divorce his wife except for sexual infidelity.

Jesus tied the origin of marriage to God’s creation of Adam and Eve: “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh’? So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.” In so doing, Jesus went beyond Shammai’s interpretation to discourage any reason for divorce. Although Jesus conceded sexual infidelity as a legitimate reason, He still made clear that God intended for all marriage relationships to remain permanent.

The disciples immediately recognized the difficulty in Jesus’ saying: “If such is the case of a man with his wife, it is better not to marry.” Let’s face it: Marriage is difficult, and anyone who says otherwise either suffers from massive denial or ignorance. Over the past few decades, the divorce rate has increased massively. In my family, divorce has affected a majority of my relatives on my mother’s side. Of the 19 grandchildren in my generation, 11 of us have suffered divorce. Of the 9 grandsons, only 4 of us have not suffered divorce, one of us because he has never married. Marriage brings immense difficulties as we seek to meld 2 lives into one as Jesus mentioned.

Jesus had a really important reason to elevate the permanence of marriage. The Old Testament frequently referred to God’s relationship with Israel as a marriage relationship, with God serving as the faithful husband in contrast to Israel’s faithlessness. The New Testament writers would use this metaphor as well. St. Paul, in one of the most beautiful passages regarding family relations, would write:

1. Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, because we are members of his body. “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband (Ephesians 5:25-33).
   

Yet, I believe we can tie Jesus’ teaching on divorce with His teaching on the children with one important fact in our lives. This one fact applies both to marriage and to parenthood:

“It’s not about you.”

I haven’t yet read Rick Warren’s Forty Days of Purpose, but I do recall his opening words, and I heartily agree with them. “It’s not about you.” Once you marry someone, you must suppress your own desires to elevate your spouse. Once your child arrives, you must suppress your own desires to sacrifice for your child. If you want to guarantee you’ll always get your way in every situation, follow the disciples’ advice: It is better not to marry.

I would add that it’s better not to have children if you’re too selfish to sacrifice for someone else. Children come here totally helpless, and I can say from personal experience you’ll sacrifice a lot of time, sleep, and money to raise them.

If you want to fulfill Jesus’ words regarding the children, you cannot ignore His teachings on marriage. Studies demonstrate the importance of parents on a child’s spiritual development. Fathers, your children’s first concepts of God will relate directly to their concept of their relationship with you. Your daughters will watch how you treat their mothers, and most of them will subconsciously seek a marriage partner to treat them in like fashion. If you want your children to grow spiritually, you must set the standard; if you want your children to seek godly marriage partners, they must see you treat one another with godly love.

For this passage, and for this service, we must recall that it’s not about us. When we confess Jesus as Lord, we must consistently place Jesus’ desires above our own. When we start a family, each member must consistently place the others’ desires above our own.

So, for our families who today bring their infants to dedicate them to Christ and His Church, I remind you: It’s not about you.

I’d also say we must remember the importance of our examples before our children. Our children will follow our examples of worship and service. We cannot simply tell our children to love the Lord, attend worship, and love others as Jesus has loved us. We must model those behaviors if we expect our children to follow them.

Lastly, as we prepare to celebrate Holy Communion, I see a beautiful picture in the Passover meal. It always helps to gather around the table with the family to hold a family meal. Families, I encourage you to eat together; celebrate the joys of life around a meal together, recover from life’s setbacks around a meal. What works for a family will also work for a church. So today, as we celebrate the births of our new arrivals, I invite all present: Join us for this meal, the Table of Our Lord. As we celebrate their births and dedications today with Holy Communion, may we look forward to the day when we celebrate the baptisms of these children, hearing their confession of faith in Jesus as Lord, witnessing their births into their eternal family, and celebrating Holy Communion to welcome them into the eternal family of God.