Building A Legacy Of Faith In Your ChildrenSýnishorn

Symbols and Ceremonies

Ultimately, children must make their own faith decisions. And they are much more likely to do so when influenced by a parent who speaks and lives out faith in the home. There is something special about the love between a mother or father and a child. In fact, there is no greater influence in the life of a child than a parent.

Isn’t it incredible that the God who created the heart of a child to crave the attention of his or her parents also selected those parents to be the primary spiritual influences in his or her life? It is an amazing, humbling, and encouraging thought.

God did not stop with that directive, though. Consider the final verses of the Shema:
“Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates (Deut. 6:8-9).”

These verses highlight the fact that part of God’s plan for passing on faith is the use of symbols and ceremonies to reinforce beliefs. Most parents have not considered how important symbols and ceremonies are to the transmission of faith, but God uses them throughout Scripture to share His message.

Symbols are objects that have special meaning attached to them. If we visited your home and asked your child to take us on a tour, he or she would no doubt show us pictures, letters, heirlooms, art, souvenirs, and other symbols that not only tell your family’s story but also explain what is most important to you. Symbols have power, and they are a special way to help children understand abstract concepts of faith and spirituality.

God calls His people to use symbols and ceremonies to remember or commemorate significant moments in their lives.

Think back to the Old Testament. Jacob set up a memorial at Bethel (Gen. 28). Jacob and Laban erected an altar at Gilead (Gen. 31), and Joshua built a memorial as the Israelites entered the Promised Land (Josh. 4). Once the nation of Israel was established, God instituted ceremonies:
-Passover
-The Festival of Tabernacles
-The Feast of Firstfruits
-The Feast of Unleavened Bread
-The Feast of Trumpets
-The Feast of Atonement
-Pentecost

The purpose of these ceremonies was to provide concrete reminders to reflect on God’s provision. God instituted portions of each of these occasions specifically to include children.

When you understand the context of the Old Testament, it becomes clear that God thinks generationally. He set up rituals, ceremonies, and symbols that gave a system for parents and communities to pass on faith to their children. That is God’s ideal scenario for someone to receive His story. A parent teaching a child was His original plan.

This is not just an Old Testament principle, though. When Jesus began His earthly ministry, He used imagery and parables (symbols) to communicate truth. He was baptized (ceremony), and He used wine and bread (symbols) in the Passover meal (ceremony) to teach about His crucifixion and resurrection. In fact, baptism and communion are two ordinances of the church still practiced today.