Treasured Traditions
“A Magnificat Morning”
October 17, 2009
Deut. 4:9- “Only take care, and keep your soul diligently, lest you forget the things that your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. Make them known to your children and your children’s children.”
Psalm 78: 4,6-7- “We will not hide them from their children, but tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the Lord, and His might, and the wonders that He has done…that the next generation might know them, the children yet unborn, and arise and tell them to their children, so that they should set their hope in God and not forget the works of God, but keep His commandments.”
Proverbs 17:22 -“A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.”
I. Thinking through thousands of years of tradition—Looking back helps us to look forward!
A. My own definition:
A tradition is something we hold on to that points us to THE SOMEONE that holds onto us.
Something we hold on to…
Traditions exist in all cultures from all time periods.
Traditions are part of the human experience, based often on changing seasons or family history.
…that points us toward the SOMEONE that holds onto us.
There is great Biblical precedent for traditions. In Deut 4, God commands the children of Israel to talk about and pass on the things that He has done. He set up feast and holy days as days of remembrance. See also Psalm 78:1-7, Deut. 6, Deut 11:1-3, 7, 18-19. We can use traditions to help shape our family’s spiritual life!
B. What are the differences between habits, memories, and traditions?
Habits are things we do every day like brushing our teeth. They are automatic, but not always deliberate.
Memories are being made constantly, no matter what the situation. The brain is a never-ending recording device that takes in every detail of every moment. Memories are the backbone of traditions.
Traditions are deliberate, thoughtful ways to celebrate a family, culture, or belief.
For the Christian, traditions are more than making or preserving memories. They are about establishing earthly pictures that constantly direct our attention to God- His attributes, His Word, His truth, His sovereignty.
So if traditions point us to God, how can we fill our moments and memories to the glory of God? When do we do this? How do we start? Traditions are not just for our children. They point adults, grandparents, and singles to God too!
II. Sorting through thousands of possibilities for traditions in the future-- Isn’t “new tradition” an oxymoron?
A. The “When” of traditions?
1. Holidays- The word “holiday” comes from two words: “Holy Day”
2. Special days- Birthdays, Anniversaries, Family reunions, Weddings, Funerals, Vacations
3. Every days- Things we do daily in the life of our family.
B. The “Who” of traditions?
1. Immediate family
2. Extended family
3. Church family (worship service traditions, seasons in the life of a church throughout the year)
C. The “How” of traditions? Where do I start?
1. Be deliberate- Unless we plan ahead, something might never happen!
2. Be thoughtful- Start small with one or two things.
3. Focus on the treasure of Christ first and then the people in your life. Material things are largely unimportant in building up godly traditions.
D. The “What” of traditions- Some questions to get us thinking!
1. What is most important to me? My husband? Our family?
2. What truths of Scripture would I love to focus on in my traditions? (A favorite verse, a favorite hymn, a favorite spiritual memory or goal?)
For example:
a. We have a vase of stones and a journal on our entryway table. When God does something in our lives or provides for us in a special way, we put a stone in the jar and write the event in the journal. This comes from Joshua 4:21, 22a, 24b-
And he said to the people of Israel, “When your children ask their fathers in times to come, ‘What do these stones mean?’ then you shall let your children know…that the hand of the Lord is mighty, that you may fear the Lord your God forever.”
b. My sister has small, square canvases on her living room wall. When someone comes over, they have the person sign their name and write a favorite verse. If someone comes that doesn’t know Christ, they have the individual write something they are thankful for! Their artwork is also a visible guest book and reminder of the things God has done!
3. What do I want my family to remember in 10 or 20 years? How can I pass on what I treasure to my family and others that I know?
4. What are the interests of my family?
5. What is one way I can plan for the upcoming holiday season?
III. Some of my favorite ideas to get you started!
A. Holiday ideas
1. Patriotic Holidays- (Even though patriotic holidays are not necessarily religious, they are great times for teaching a family about God’s gifts to our country and our civic responsibilities.)
a. Attend parades.
b. Send letters to soldiers
c. Make visits to the capital.
d. Read the Declaration of Independence together.
2. Easter- This is one of the most important Holy Days for the Christian. Our entire faith hinges on the Resurrection of Christ and His atoning work on the cross.
a. Celebrate Lent by giving up something in order to reserve extra time for Christ.
b. Start with seven lighted candles and gradually extinguish them in the weeks before Easter to show the darkness of sin. On Easter morning, all seven are lit again, signifying the risen Christ as the true light of the world.
c. Study various names of Christ.
d. Attend various Easter services (Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, etc.).
e. Think through special meals or treats. See the link for a recipe for Easter cookies at the end of this handout!
3. Thanksgiving- This is the only holiday we celebrate that has an exclusively religious origin. It is a wonderful time for reflecting on God’s blessings.
a. Fill a “blessing box” with blessings and answers to prayer all year long. Then take them out and read them before your Thanksgiving meal.
b. In my family, there was usually an extra place setting at the table that remained empty in honor of those that were not able to be with us that year.
c. We also all wrote messages on a Chinet plate for each person that wasn’t there, and then my grandma mailed them. I’ll never forget getting those plates when I was at college and couldn’t go home for Thanksgiving!
d. There are some wonderful hymns for this time of year-- “We Gather Together”, “Come, Ye Thankful People, Come”, “Now Thank We All Our God”.
4. Christmas- When we think of traditions, most people tend to think of Christmas first. What a glorious time of celebration as we remember the birth of the Savior! It is hard not to get caught up in the materialism and rush of the season, but if we are deliberate, we can institute some wonderful ways to reflect on Christ.
a. The beauty of many of the decorations can even point us to the beauty of Christ. In our family, we buy one special ornament for each child every year that helps tell the story of their life. They will take these with them when they get married. All of the decorations glow and shine, reminding us that Christ is indeed the light of the world.
b. Begin to research the origins of the different symbols of Christmas (i.e. Christmas tree, star, candles, holly, candy canes).
c. Some traditions can just be for the mutual joy and fun in a family, building togetherness and unity! We always buy new Christmas pajamas every year. They are the only present opened on Christmas Eve!
d. Plan special meals throughout the season. We have pizza on Christmas tree decorating night. We always have lasagna either on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day (it can be made ahead of time, thereby limiting the amount of time I spend in the kitchen on the holiday!)
e. Choose a new family to have over for a cookie night and get to know their story!
f. Celebrate Advent by lighting one candle on each of the four Sundays before Christmas and reading prophecies about the birth of Messiah. A fifth candle in the middle of the Advent wreath is the “Jesus candle” and is lit on Christmas morning.
g. Memorize and quote Luke 2: 1-18 together.
h. Create a Jesus tree with ornaments symbolizing names and attributes of Christ. I have also heard this called a “Jesse Tree”. See the link for Jesse tree ideas at the end of this handout!
i. Begin collecting nativities from around the world as a reminder that one day those from every kindred nation, tribe, and tongue will bow and say, “Worthy is the Lamb”.
j. Wonderful, God-glorifying music abounds at Christmas. Attend every concert and cantata you can possibly fit into the schedule!
k. Make a birthday cake for Jesus. The cake is chocolate to represent sin, covered with white frosting to represent Christ washing us white as snow. On the top of the cake place a star, an angel, a crown (He is the King of Kings), and a candy cane (shaped like a J for Jesus). Light a LARGE candle on the top of the cake while you sing a Christmas carol!
B. Special Day Ideas
1. Birthdays
a. Write letters instead of buying birthday cards. A handwritten note is like gold in this electronic age!
b. Make special meals, like birthday breakfasts or birthday dinners.
c. Begin a journal that you add to every year telling your child about how they are special and how they have grown that year.
d. If you like to scrapbook, make separate birthday books.
2. Anniversaries
a. Write a letter to your spouse sharing your memories and thoughts about the past year—what was special to you, what you learned, and how God worked in your lives during the year.
b. Watch your wedding video or look through your photos together.
c. Have a new picture taken of the two of you together.
3. Other Special days and Events- Things that happen once a year or even more infrequently such as weddings, funerals, family reunions, or family vacations are opportunities to cherish the gift of extended family. Be alert for ways to build traditions.
For example:
Family vacations or road trips-
a. Listen to books on CD together instead of everyone doing their own thing in the car. The Focus on the Family Radio Theater CD’s are fabulous.
b. I know a family that planned their family vacations for every year from the time their children were little to the year the last one graduates from high school. They save for these trips continually, and they picked the 10-15 places they most wanted to visit.
c. Our kids have fun bags that go along on every trip. Everywhere we go, we buy a patch, a key chain, or a pin to go on their bag.
C. Everyday Ideas- These are the things you do in your family that point you DAILY toward God and His sweet blessing of a family.
1. Periodically, we plan a surprise ride for a family fun time. We get everything planned and then run through the house screaming, “Surprise Ride! Surprise Ride!” Things we’ve done include going to get ice cream, going swimming at the YMCA, getting up early to go to McDonald’s for breakfast, or going to see a special movie.
2. Plan a family fun night each week and treasure that time.
3. Read books out loud to each other. I heartily recommend On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness and North! Or Be Eaten from “The Wingfeather Saga” written by Christian singer Andrew Peterson! For a list of other great books to read see the following website:
www.classical-homeschooling.org/celoop/1000.html
4. Play games or buy a large puzzle. Much deep and even spiritual conversation can take place while a family puts together a puzzle!
5. Family worship is one of the most important traditions a family can have. As soon as children can read, start them on the habit of reading Scripture aloud together.
6. Especially with children, a bedtime routine of prayers and special songs is a wonderful tradition!
7. Eat dinner every night in the dining room and regularly use the nice dishes. Why have them if they only come out once or twice a year?!
8. Even prayer before meals is an important tradition!
9. We have a magnetic clipboard with notebook paper that hangs on our refrigerator. We call it the “cute list”, and we write down all of the funny things the kids do and say. Josiah just turned nine, and he has 26 full pages. When we need a good laugh, we just start reading through the cute list! It also helps to remind us of our family’s history—where we have been and how God has brought us to where we are now.
Some of my favorite resources:
1. Treasuring God in Our Traditions by Noel Piper
2. Let’s Make a Memory by Shirley Dobson
3. Before and After Christmas- Activities and Ideas-Advent or Epiphany by Debbie Trafton O’Neal (daily activities to direct children’s thoughts during the Christmas season)
4. The Ballad of Matthew’s Begats by Andrew Peterson
5. Kids Love Michigan by George and Michelle Zavatsky (full of fun, family-friendly places to visit in our beautiful state)
6. For ideas for a “Jesus tree” or “Jesse tree”: http://www.crivoice.org/jesse.html
7. For a great Easter cookie recipe see the following website or do an internet search for hollow Easter cookies. http://www.allhomemadecookies.com/recipes/drop/easterstorycookies.htm
(Please link to this post instead of copying and pasting if you desire to use any of this material in print in any form!)
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