‘One Generation Shall Commend Your Works to Another’—Reminding Grandparents of Their Biblical Duty to Pass Down God’s Word

With National Grandparents Day celebrated this Sunday, Sept. 8, the American Pastors Network (APN) is reminding grandparents that the Bible speaks directly to them regarding how to instill biblical precepts to the next generations.

APN President Sam Rohrer, the grandfather to 14 grandchildren and the father of six, says he and his wife of 42 years have strived to be godly influences in their grandchildren’s lives.

“Psalm 145:4 tells us that ‘One generation shall commend your works to another,’” Rohrer said. “This is a clear charge to parents and grandparents to instill the Word of God, His promises, His creation, His good works and the saving grace through His Son, Jesus Christ, to the generations that come after us. If we see that more millennials are becoming ‘nones’ and not embracing any faith at all, that means those millennial parents are not raising their children in the church or with a faith in Jesus Christ. This is alarming for future generations, which also brings to light the need for grandparents to play an integral role in their grandchildren’s faith walk.”

Rohrer also pointed to recent research by Barna that found that a majority of Christians had their faith heritage passed down by a family member—and usually long before adulthood, by the age of 12.

“This study is another indicator of the importance of grandparents who are strong in their faith have in talking to their grandchildren about why it is crucial to keep Christ at the center of their life and to look to the Bible for guidance in every area of life,” Rohrer added.

National Grandparents Day was championed in the 1970s by Marian Lucille Herndon McQuade, who had 43 grandchildren, 10 great-grandchildren and one great-great grandchild. McQuade envisioned the holiday as a family affair, with generations coming together. While working to recognize the holiday on a local level, McQuade was elected Vice-Chair of the West Virginia Committee on Aging and appointed as a delegate to the White House Conference on Aging in 1971. In 1979, President Jimmy Carter proclaimed Grandparents Day would occur the Sunday after Labor Day each year. McQuade was married to her husband, Joseph, for 60 years before he died in 2001. Mrs. McQuade passed away in 2008.

According to LegacyProject.com, “On a societal level, National Grandparents Day gives us a chance to publicly affirm the identity and importance of grandparents, that they do play a vital role in families.”

Photo by Nikoline Arns on Unsplash