The Lord be with you
This coming Sunday, the first Sunday after the national holiday called Labor Day, is Grandparents’ Day in the USA. It is officially an “observance” and not a holiday. It was first celebrated as a national observance in 1978.
As a national observance, it is like many other national observances and holidays and doesn’t appear on liturgical calendars. This doesn’t mean that the Church does not value the vocation of grandparent or that the Bible has nothing to say about this vocation. However the truths that apply to grandparents do not apply exclusively to grandparents. Things like showing God’s love to others, the blessings of family, and so on, apply to others as well. So the vocation of being a grandparent is covered throughout the year when topics related to being a grandparent are covered.
Still, it is appropriate for us to remember this particular vocation on this particular Sunday. After all, in our vocation as citizens of the United States, we are part of the nation and seek its well-being. Therefore, this coming Sunday, we will remember this blessed vocation in our prayers. A prayer you mayl use is:
Creator God, who brought into existence the first family in the Garden of Eden and through that family established all the vocations that come with being part of a family, we remember the witness of the grandparents in the Bible, like Abraham and Sarah, who were the grandparents of Jacob and Esau, Obed and his wife, the grandparents of King David, and Adam and Eve, who were the grandparents of Enos, who carried the promise of the seed that would redeem the world. To this day grandparents continue to carry the vocation to love, support, advise and encourage their grandchildren, thereby being a blessing, not only to their grandchildren but also their children who have the primary vocation of raising the family in the ways of the Lord. Strengthen all our grandparents that they may walk in ways that demonstrate Your love in all their family relationships.
Finally, if you would like a little background on this day you may go to the following link.
Blessings in Christ,
Pastor John Rickert