OPENING ACTIVITY: Through the Years

Before class, find some pennies that were minted during a variety of decades: 60s, 70s, etc. As you students come in, ask each one to pick up a penny. When everyone has arrived and has a penny, ask people to tell stories about something that happened to them during the year on their penny. (Of course, some people may get pennies that were minted during years before they were born—if this happens, just ask the person to add the right number of 10-year-increments until they get to the decade during which they were alive.)

If you have different generations present, have them discuss the similarities and differences of their growing up years. If your students are all from the same generation, encourage them to identify some unfair stereotypes that have been placed upon their generation—but do not describe their own lives.

OPENING STORY: [Make copies of the story for your students or read it aloud]

INFLUENCING THE NEXT GENERATION

This Christmas, grandparents everywhere will be giving gifts to their grandchildren, but will they give them the greatest gift of all—the knowledge of the saving love of Jesus Christ?

The opportunities for grandparents to get involved in the lives of their grandchildren is expanding significantly these days—especially with the advent of social media.

Years ago, one grandma-to-be was delighted to hear the news that her son and his wife were expecting their first baby. That day she headed out to the mall to get a boatload of baby clothes and toys. After the baby was born and grew into toddlerhood, Grandma and Grandpa frequently took him to parks or out for frozen yogurt. Now that her grandson is getting older and starting to interact with a world that is often hostile to the Gospel, she wonders how she can make a positive impact in his life.

Consider the drastic cultural changes that have occurred in the past decade—never mind the changes in the 50 years since today’s grandparents were growing up.

Most of America’s 30 million grandparents never pictured the pervasive presence of screens, smart phones, and social media that we see today. But this is the only world that many grandkids have ever known.

Of course, that same culture says that grandparents should either be on the golf course or in some retirement home. That might mean a transition from the 9-to-5 world to something more flexible, but that doesn’t have to mean stepping away from Kingdom work. This certainly includes teaching “children and our children’s children” to love and fear the Lord as we are instructed in in Deuteronomy 6. Consider this early church example: The apostle Paul praised Lois, Timothy’s grandmother, who nurtured a young man who became one of the most prominent pastors in all of church history (2 Timothy 1:5).

One person concerned about grandparents teaching younger generations is Larry Fowler, the founder of the Legacy Coalition, a ministry that encourages intentional Christian grandparenting. Several years ago, God began to impress on Larry and his wife how important it was for them to become involved in the lives of their own grandchildren as additional spiritual influences—even though it meant moving halfway across the country to be near them. As he puts it, “Behind parents, grandparents are the most influential people in the lives of children and youth. We want to help leverage that for the Kingdom.”

The Legacy Coalition provides resources and training for grandparents and church leaders who want to come alongside the grandparents in their congregations. It also offers ideas for long-distance grandparenting.

Larry believes that the grandparenting relationship has incredible potential for discipleship, but it is unrecognized and under-resourced. Many churches have a family ministry that focuses on parenting, but usually very little on grandparenting. Grandparenting is too often associated with a seniors’ ministry, which results in younger grandparents being overlooked and ignored.

Christian grandparents can also get themselves caught up in a “retirement culture” that pushes them to pursue their own pleasures and put off dreams rather than invest in their grandchildren. Emphasizing the significant spiritual impact grandparents can have can steer this momentum in a more God-honoring direction.

Now ask your students to form small groups to discuss these questions. 

• Here is a list of names that have been given to current generations around today:
• Gen Z, iGen, or Centennials: Born 1996 and later
• Millennials or Gen Y: Born 1977 to 1995
• Generation X: Born 1965 to 1976
• Baby Boomers: Born 1946 to 1964
• Traditionalists or Silent Generation: Born 1945 and before 

• What are stereotypes have you heard associated with some of these generations?

• What assumptions do people make about you because of your age? What is true about what they think? What would you challenge?

• How can the Gospel help us understand that all the generations should teach one another to love and obey God?

Let’s take a look at the original setting for Moses’ admonitions in Deuteronomy 6:1-9—and how we can apply these commands to the multiple generations represented in the church today.

News Source:
http://www.breakpoint.org/2018/09/breakpoint-intentional-christian-grandparenting/