Raising Resident Aliens

Proud parent moments - Quinn

Proud parent moment in scripture - Jeremiah 29:4-7 bless babylon

Then, in another exile, Daniel - he embodied it! Taken in to exile, sought the well being, found favor, interpreted dreams. But not compromising.

Proud parents!!

How did he do it? How did they do it? Successfully raise resident alien?

I want to know because we are in exile, and I have 4 kids.

I hope that you, as a part of a church with lots of young people - want to, too.

I think a key to success was story - passed down from generation about who God is, what God has done, how God’s steadfast love always shows up.

Exodus 12:26-27

Deuteronomy 6:20-23

Joshua 4:6-7

Psalm 78:4-7

Why it matters?

It roots their identity

It explains our rhythm and routine

It gives hope in exile

How do we do it?

Intentional storytelling - scripture, liturgy, songs, testimony

Tangible reminders - feasts, stones, holidays, traditions, rhythm, artwork

Countercultural choices - life as resident alien necessarily comes into conflict with the accepted norms of our current context.  fill calendars, spend money, use resources, avoid political allegiances, see people who aren’t like us, things we celebrate, spend our time

Our story calls us to live countercultural

Pattern of the verses - when the children ask…

Why do they ask? They notice them doing something different - living as resident alien causes us to stand out at times.

So think about your life - finances, schedule, rhythms, actions, words, social media posts, everything - are they counter cultural in a way that causes the next generation to ask questions?

The reality is we live in exile. We can choose to hunker down and wait for rescue, but that’s not our call. Our call is to embrace exile and bless babylon. And to raise the next generation in it!

So keep telling the better story!

We are swimming in a sea of stories - stories from advertising, from social media, from culture. Some of these stories are beautiful, but lots are broken. And all of them are competing to be the story that shapes the lives of us, and our young people.

That’s why we must keep telling the better story. The story that you are deeply loved by your creator. That you were created on purpose for a purpose. That you are redeemed by grace through Jesus.

Tell it to your children. Tell it to your friends. Tell it to the people in your workplace, your school, your neighborhood. Tell it in words, tell it with your actions, tell it with the way you spend your time and your money.

Parents — tell the story so often that your children could finish your sentences.

Grandparents — tell the story so joyfully that your grandchildren want to hear it again.

Young people — tell the story courageously in a world that will try to hand you another script.

And if you’re here today and you’ve never stepped into God’s story — if up until now you’ve only been living in Babylon’s story — hear this: God’s story is big enough for you. His grace is wide enough for you. His Son, Jesus, came into the brokenness of our exile to bring us home. You can be part of the people of God today, not because you’ve got it all figured out, but because God’s steadfast love shows up for you like it has for generations!

Pray.