Sermons about the family

I read this week that there are fewer sermons today on family issues than in past years.  The reason given is that many ministers have experienced failures in their own family relationships making them reluctant to talk about family issues.  Yes, ministers and their families are human beings and as humans we sometimes make mistakes.  Ministers and their spouses do get divorces.  Minister's daughters do sometimes become pregnant out of wedlock, and minister's sons are sometimes responsible for their girlfriends becoming pregnant.  Members of clergy families sometimes become addicted to alcohol, drugs, and all the other evils that people can become addicted to.  Unfortunately, being a minister does not automatically exempt one from experiencing some of the same family-associated tragedies that others go through.  But, that doesn't mean that we should stop preaching sermons about family life.  If anything, it shows how important it is that people are regularly reminded of what the Bible teaches about the family.

When I was a pastor I often told people that I felt the church's first responsibility was to help people experience a personal relationship with Jesus Christ that would transform their lives.  The second responsibility was to help families be all God intended them to be.  Think about this...there really is no organization except the church, and some para-church groups, that are actively trying to help families survive in these chaotic days in which we live.  The media seldom offers a positive view of family life.  Many feminists and the organizations they support seem to hate the family.  If the church doesn't speak out in favor of the family, who will, and who will offer any kind of sound advice that will help families going through turmoil?

For many years I would take the Sundays from Mother's Day to Father's Day to preach a series of messages on aspects of family life.  That meant for seven Sundays each year the congregation would be exposed to biblical teaching about family life.  These were some of my favorite sermons because I knew how practical they would be, and I knew the people were getting sound advice for the family situations they were facing because it was coming directly out of the Word of God.  At no time did I ever pass myself off as an expert or as the head of a house that had it all together.  There would be times when I would discuss something and admit that I often failed in that area myself but that I was working to improve.

This postmodern age in which we live is hard on families, and they need all the help they can get.  Be sure to share some messages this year on what the Bible says about various aspects of family life.  You will probably find your church will thank you, and it may help some families survive some things that may have otherwise caused them to fail.