Wait. Stop. This is not a medical article. I am not weighing in on pediatric medicine. I am not joining the ongoing “pandemic arguing cycle.” But please read on.
Here’s the deal. As a pastor and preacher, I see a quite strong parallel between that current medical decision that parents are having to make at this time, and another even more important decision parents need to make, about which I am strongly opinionated.
With the simple definition that a vaccine is something that prevents a destructive disease or condition, I cannot help but look at our world and see the destructive non-medical “diseases and conditions” within our society which are waging a terrible war against us, trying to confuse us as to who we are and what we are meant to be as humans.
And in particular, I can see these evil forces having such a strong negative influence on our children and youth. You can probably name these evil forces along with me. They include loss of the knowledge of right and wrong, truth and lies, good and bad, fairness and cheating. They include the attitudes of utter selfishness and false self-identification as victims or oppressors.
These evils include judging people by the color of their skin instead of the content of their character. They include the tenets of nihilism, which means believing in “nothingness,” which leads one to believe that one’s own life means nothing and so no one else’s life means anything either, resulting in sexual immorality, deviant behaviors, violence and crime.
This all sounds pretty bad, doesn’t it? Well, it is. And it is present and prevalent in every corner of society and in every community, including ours.
So, here is the first question for you parents and grandparents: If you could get your kids “vaccinated” against such “diseases,” would you? Would you sacrifice whatever it took and invest yourselves to the fullest in the safety and life-long security of your children and grandchildren against such evils? I will go ahead and answer that question for you. Of course you would!
O.K., here is the second question, and it’s a very good and important one. Is there truly such a “vaccine?” Is there in reality something which could keep our children and youth “on the right path” now and send them into adulthood as successful, productive, contributing members of society, and even give them assurances of blessings beyond this life?
I will definitely answer that question. Oh, yes! And I will share the bare bones of it right here, and I hope you will pursue it further in the near future.
That “vaccination” which will guard, guide, and protect is simply this: A Biblical World-View. What does that mean, what does that entail, and how and where do you get it?
Obviously, a Biblical World-View comes from the Bible. We sing, “The B-I-B-L-E, yes that’s the book for me.” Having a Biblical World-View is the only way our children can accurately understand who they are, where they came from and where they are going. It is the only way they can correctly identify what their Problem and Solution are, and what their problems and solutions are. It is the only way they will be able accurately to know the difference between what is right and what is wrong, what is truth and what are lies, what is good and what is bad, what is fairness and what is cheating.
This knowledge and living by it are not natural human qualities and behaviors for us or for our children. They must be found outside ourselves. They must be found and lifted up and taught from the Bible. They must be reinforced by repetitive experiences with the Bible and with those who share the same quest and knowledge of The Truth.
Of course, the center of a Biblical World-View is Jesus. In the Bible the Old Testament tells of the centuries leading up to Jesus’ presence on our earth. In it we see the reality of our sin, which would separate us from God our Creator. In it we see God’s mighty acts of salvation and restoration of His people as He forgives their sins and failures, and restores them into relationship with Him. In it we constantly hear His Promise to send a Savior who would provide the ultimate restoration between God and humans. We see ourselves in all these stories as well.
Then in the New Testament of the Bible we see God’s Promise fulfilled in the birth of His own Son, Jesus, who came to teach and heal, to give His life on the cross to forgive all sin, and to be raised that we too might have eternal life. We have in Jesus’ teachings the foundation for the absolute best way to live our lives.
A few years ago the phrase was popular, “W.W.J.D?” “What would Jesus do?” The call was to live our lives the way Jesus lived His. However, I have often thought that we also need to ask, “H.C.Y.D.W. J.W.D.U.Y.K.W.J.D?” What? We need to ask, “How can you do what Jesus would do unless you know what Jesus did?”
That’s why we need to teach our children the Bible stories, read them the Children’s Bible, tell them of God’s love for them, tell them God’s Way for their lives, and let them grow up with people who are examples of Jesus’ kind of love and living.
All this must happen in our homes. This is where the “vaccine” starts and works most effectively to keep our children safe and secure from the evils of the world.
And all this good “vaccine” is found in our local churches, which faithfully and tirelessly teach the Bible, this Biblical World-View, to our children in Sunday School classes, Vacation Bible School, Youth Ministry Groups, and ministries of all kinds. So, go to your church regularly, taking your children. Find a church home and be faithful there. Our community has many, many Christ-centered churches. Whether close by your house or a bit of a drive, it’ll be worth it.
In these crazy days of the Covid-19 pandemic, we can feel relatively safe and protected and good-to-go with what is now tabbed, the “Triple Vax.” I declare to you again today that there is also a “Triple Vax” that will keep you and your children absolutely safe, protected, and good-to-go in life itself: Jesus, the Bible, and the Church.
The vaccine your kids need the most! Amen!
[Kollmeyer, a Fayette County resident for 35 years, is Pastor Emeritus at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Fayetteville. Follow Pastor Scott Ness and this great church at www.princeofpeacefayette.org. Kollmeyer until recently was Interim Pastor at Word of God Lutheran Church in Sharpsburg. Find some of his video recorded sermons at www.woglutheran.org and follow Pastor Jason Dampier and this great church on this site.]
