The document discusses raising children and giving to God. It notes that Hannah gave her son Samuel to God's service in response to God's faithfulness. Parents are called to return their children, who are gifts from God, by raising them to know they belong to God. Jesus also knew his identity and role as God's son from a young age. The document encourages parents to know their children belong to both them and God, and to help their children understand their identity as children of God.

1. GIVING TO GOD
1st Sunday after Christmas
27th December 2015

2. Today…
What type of world are we living in?

3. Legacies…
What type of world are we leaving our children?

4. Let’s look at this again…
What type of children are we leaving our world?

5. How do we bring up our children?

6. 1 Samuel 2: 18-20, 26
• 2:18 Samuel was ministering before the LORD, a
boy wearing a linen ephod.
• 2:19 His mother used to make for him a little robe
and take it to him each year, when she went up
with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice.
• 2:20 Then Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife,
and say, "May the LORD repay you with children
by this woman for the gift that she made to the
LORD"; and then they would return to their home.
• 2:26 Now the boy Samuel continued to grow both
in stature and in favor with the LORD and with
the people.

7. Quick contemplation…
Background:
Hannah in despair – covenant with God – out of joy – gives Samuel to the
service of God – in joy and faith – in response to God’s faithfulness
Some questions:
Do we find it difficult to give to God? Our money? Our time? Our efforts?
How about our children?
Do we find it difficult to give them to God?

8. Quick contemplation…do we…
10%God/church
CHILDREN
Taxes
Entertainment
Insurance
Savings
Transport
Home
Clothes
Food
God/church
God
God

9. Quick contemplation…
How do we treat the kids?
Little Devils Little Gods
Where are we?
Children have no clear
understanding of their
relationship with God and the
gift of God that they are to
their parents and to
themselves

10. A Christian response…
Our responsibilities?
When God gifts us with
children… our responsibility
is to:
1. Return that gift to God by
raising our children to
know that they belong to
God, so that…
2. They will come to
understand the favor of
God for their own lives;
and in the process
3. Know the favor of people
as well.
We are to provide for the
welfare of our children as they
grow in physical as well as in
spiritual ways
We are called to know that
our children are never ours
alone, they also belong to
God

11. Luke 2: 41-52
• 2:41 Now every year his parents went to
Jerusalem for the festival of the Passover.
• 2:42 And when he was twelve years old,
they went up as usual for the festival.
• 2:43 When the festival was ended and they
started to return, the boy Jesus stayed
behind in Jerusalem, but his parents did not
know it.
• 2:44 Assuming that he was in the group of
travelers, they went a day's journey. Then
they started to look for him among their
relatives and friends.
• 2:45 When they did not find him, they
returned to Jerusalem to search for him.

12. Luke 2: 41-52 (cont)
• 2:46 After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and
asking them questions.
• 2:47 And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers.
• 2:48 When his parents saw him they were astonished; and his mother said to him, "Child, why have you
treated us like this? Look, your father and I have been searching for you in great anxiety."
• 2:49 He said to them, "Why were you searching for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father's
house?"
• 2:50 But they did not understand what he said to them.
• 2:51 Then he went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them. His mother
treasured all these things in her heart.
• 2:52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and in years, and in divine and human favor.

13. Quick contemplation…
While Mary may not know that her son is to do God’s will, Jesus knows His role
and identity in the future…
Do we know our roles and identities in Christ?
Do our children?
HOW THEN SHALL WE LIVE?

14. A parallel…
Samuel grew "in stature
and in favor with the Lord
and with the people."
Samuel's maturity is
witnessed at two levels:
1. Stature in the human
community of which
he was a part; and
2. Growth in his
relationship with God.
Jesus experiences
growth at two levels as
well.
1. He increases in
human wisdom (he is
not gifted with all
knowledge from the
beginning); and
2. His relationship with
God advances in its
maturity.

15. Colossians 3: 12-17
• 3:12 As God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe
yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness,
and patience.
• 3:13 Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint
against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord has
forgiven you, so you also must forgive.
• 3:14 Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds
everything together in perfect harmony.
• 3:15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which
indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful.
• 3:16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; teach and
admonish one another in all wisdom; and with gratitude in
your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God.
• 3:17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in
the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father
through him.

16. How then shall we live?
Knowing our IDENTITY:
“Children of God”

17. Therefore….
Leave what is not good behind, and put on what is good…
As God gave His son, we also give of our children….
And of ourselves….