Freedom – Week of April 20, 2020

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

I Peter 1:3, 8-9

Christ has given us new birth. We are no longer mired in sin but have been resurrected into a new life. This new birth occurred when God took ahold of us whether that was first by the Word and water of baptism or the Word spoken to us. We die to our sins and are resurrected into a new life. This new birth gives us a living hope. We have hope for today because we are alive in Christ and we have hope for tomorrow because we will live forever in resurrected bliss in heaven.

Another way to say new birth is “renaissance”. You have heard the term, of course. It refers to a rebirth of knowledge from the classical age. You may have also heard the term “Renaissance Man”. It means a person who is engaged in a variety of interests and subjects.

I would suggest that all teachers are attempting to groom their children to be “Renaissance People”. Even at an early childhood level (and maybe especially on this level) the goal is to give children the skills to become well-rounded people. People of freedom and hope. Renaissance People.

May I suggest that this has to start with Christ? In him is true freedom. Only when a person is free from the worry of sin and death, can that person truly be reborn into a full life. We die with Christ, that is, our sinful natures die with him at the cross. We are then resurrected with him into this new life of hope. It’s a life of freedom. From there our children can truly flourish.

Only when you are free in Christ can you truly live without fear. Fear seems to be the natural reaction to times like these but not for the Christian. The Christian knows her final destination. The Christian knows his value in Christ. The Christian knows who is ultimately in charge.

Prayer:
Holy Spirit,
Send your counsel to all teachers so that they may give their students grace through Christ and so free them to become people full of hope and joy.
In Christ’s Name we pray, Amen.

Early Childhood Ministry Educator’s (ECME) Devotions are brought to you by WELS Commission on Lutheran Schools.
All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.
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