The car is fuelled, the children are ready, his wife is waiting inside, and he is still looking for the keys. From that domestic scene Agnieszka and John Crozier move to the hymn of love (1 Corinthians 13) and the question of what we really pass on to our children. Out of their own family story, learning patience, daring to apologise, and a hard turn in their eldest son’s life, comes one conclusion: children learn not from what we say but from who we are. Listen and consider what you are leaving to the next generation.
Discussion questions
For your small group or for personal reflection after the sermon.
- Paul writes that without love, speaking in tongues, prophecy, knowledge, faith and even giving away everything amount to nothing. Why do you think he puts it so strongly in 1 Corinthians 13:1-3?
- In verses 8-13 Paul says that prophecies and knowledge will pass away, but love never fails. What might this have meant to the church in Corinth, which prized spiritual gifts?
- The sermon opens with the picture of a car ready to go, with wife and kids waiting inside, but without the keys nobody goes anywhere. What in your life and relationships might be like that car without the key of love?
- Children learn more from how we act than from what we say, as in the story of the lion sound or the dad's words repeated at preschool. What might others learn by watching your everyday reactions?
- We heard that patience means walking alongside another person at their own pace, and that love is not a transaction and does not put our own reputation first. Which of these ideas strikes you most, and why?
- David's story shows that dreams can fall apart, but the love of God and of family remains a platform to keep going. Who can you show that kind of love to this week, perhaps through an apology or patience?
