At Gateway South Austin, we concluded our series “Homecoming.”
Everyone is searching for a place to belong.
In a world marked by loneliness, hurried schedules, endless distractions, and divided loyalties, we all long for a table where we’re fully known, deeply loved, and truly welcomed. Throughout Scripture, some of God’s most life-changing moments happen around a table. Around the table, strangers become family, stories are shared, grace is experienced, and lives are transformed.
In this series, Homecoming invites us to rediscover the rhythms that shape a life with God. Rooted in the ancient prayer called the Shema (Deuteronomy 6:4–9), we’ll discover that faith isn’t just something we believe – it’s something that forms us day by day. Jesus echoed the Shema when He called us to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, reminding us that following Him is not confined to church services but woven into our homes, our conversations, our work, our neighborhoods, and every ordinary moment of life.
As we gather around God’s table, He reshapes our hearts, reorders our loves, and reminds us who we are. But His table was never meant to end with us. Just as Jesus continually welcomed outsiders, invited skeptics, and made room for sinners, He sends His followers to extend that same invitation to others.
We are formed at God’s table so we can make room for others at His table.
Message Video from Gateway South Austin:
Message Audio from Gateway South Austin:
Message Notes from Carlos Ortiz, Jr.:
Last week, we talked about the table. There is something powerful about a table because some of the most important moments in our lives happen around one. We eat there, but we also talk there. We celebrate there. We grieve there. We catch up after a long day. We tell stories. We listen to one another. We sometimes have difficult conversations, and sometimes we have conversations that we remember for the rest of our lives. A table is ordinary, but God has always used ordinary things to do extraordinary work.
Throughout Scripture, the table becomes a place of fellowship, formation, hospitality, and even mission. But there is something we need to understand today: the table was never intended to become the destination. The table was always meant to prepare us for what comes next.
God gathers His people so that He can send His people. We gather around His Word so that His Word can shape the way we live when we leave. We gather in worship so that worship doesn’t simply happen in this room, but continues in our homes, our workplaces, our schools, our neighborhoods, and our relationships. The table gathers us, but eventually the table sends us.
That’s the movement we see in Deuteronomy 6.
Moses says, “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.” This passage is known as the Shema, and for generations it has been one of the defining declarations of Jewish faith. The word Shema means “hear.” Listen. Pay attention. Remember who God is.
But what I love about the Shema is that Moses doesn’t stop with simply telling Israel what to believe. He immediately begins talking about what that belief should produce in everyday life. He says, “These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.”
In other words, the Shema isn’t simply about knowing something about God. It is about allowing the reality of who God is to become so deeply embedded in us that it begins to shape the people around us.
And notice where Moses says this is supposed to happen. Not only in the synagogue or church. Not only in a worship service. Not only during a formal Bible study. He says it happens when you sit at home, when you walk along the road, when you lie down, and when you get up.
That’s almost another way of saying, “Let your whole life become the classroom.”
Faith was never meant to stay inside our homes or inside our church walls. The gospel was always meant to overflow into ordinary life. And perhaps nowhere is that more important than in the way we influence the generation coming behind us. Because whether we realize it or not, we are always impressing something on our children.
The question isn’t whether we’re shaping them. We are. The question is: What are we impressing on them?
Since last week we looked at the Shema to better understand God, this week we look at the Shema asking how it challenges us? What does it compel us to do?
Receive God’s Love
Before Moses tells Israel to impress God’s Word on their children, he tells them to love God themselves. That’s important because we can’t give away what we haven’t received.
The Shema begins with “Hear.” Then comes “Love.” And only after that does Moses say, “Impress them on your children.” There’s an order to this. We receive before we reproduce. We are formed before we form others. Scripture has to move into our own hearts before it can naturally move through our lives.
This is also where the gospel is so different from religion.
Religion says, “Love God enough, obey enough, try hard enough, and maybe God will accept you.”
But the gospel says something completely different. The gospel says that God has already loved us, already pursued us, and, through Jesus, already made a way for us to come home. We don’t love God in order to convince Him to love us. We love Him because He has loved us first.
That distinction matters when we’re talking about the next generation.
Our children don’t simply need information about God. They need to see what it looks like to be loved by God. They need to see what grace looks like in a real home.You only let your kids watch veggie tales and listen to CCM? Awesome. But is there the fruit of the Spirit evidenced in you? Some of us grew up in no-Harry-Potter-households but mom and dad could turn to Voldemort in the blink of an eye. Our kids don’t need a million “don’ts”. They need to see what forgiveness looks like when someone has genuinely hurt us. They need to see what repentance looks like when we get it wrong. They need to see what faith looks like when the answer to prayer doesn’t come the way we hoped it would.
Because our children are learning from us even when we’re not intentionally teaching them.
This is absolutely true for those of us who are parents, but this is also true of all of us as adults. Kids today are more connected to the adult world more than ever through the internet. They see how adults interact with rage to partisan politics. They see the choices adults are making and it affects them.
For parents and for both biological or spiritual aunts and uncles, They watch what gets our attention. They watch what gets our time. They watch what gets our money. They watch how we talk about people. They watch how we treat people who can do nothing for us. They watch how we respond when we’re frustrated. They watch how we respond when someone disagrees with us. They watch whether our faith seems to be something we practice on Sunday or something that actually shapes our lives on Monday.
We can tell our children that Jesus is loving, but if they grow up in an environment where love is constantly conditional, they’re learning something different. We can tell them that God is gracious, but if they never see grace extended when someone fails, they’re learning something different. We can tell them that Jesus is worthy of everything, but if they consistently see our comfort, success, possessions, or reputation take priority over Him, they’re learning something different.
That’s why Moses begins with, “These commandments are to be on your hearts.”
Before God’s Word is something we impress on our children, it has to be something that has impressed us.
And when God’s love has truly taken root in us, it will eventually find its way into the way we live.
Impress It on Your Children
This is why that phrase in Deuteronomy 6 deserves more attention than we sometimes give it: “Impress them on your children.”
The language is strong. It carries the idea of pressing something deeply into someone, of engraving something so that it becomes part of who they are. Moses isn’t simply telling parents to make sure their children know a few Bible stories. He’s talking about formation. He’s talking about identity. He’s talking about a truth that becomes so deeply woven into everyday life that the next generation begins to understand who they are because of who God is.
And then Moses tells us how to do it.
“Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.”
That is conversation. It points to the Hebrew word for Impress – Sanan, which can be translated as “Impress by repetition.”
Faith is passed along through conversations more than presentations.
Some of the most important spiritual conversations you’ll ever have with your children may not happen in a church building. They may happen in the car on the way to practice. They may happen at the dinner table. They may happen while you’re driving home from school. They may happen on the couch late at night when your teenager suddenly decides they want to talk. They may happen when your child comes home crying because someone hurt them. They may happen when they fail, when they’re afraid, when they’re excited, when they have questions you don’t know how to answer.
Those moments matter.
Moses says, “When you sit. When you walk. When you lie down. When you get up.”
He’s telling us to use the life we’ve already been given. You don’t have to manufacture spiritual moments. You need to recognize the spiritual moments that are already happening.
Your child says, “I’m scared.” That’s an opportunity to talk about God.
Your teenager says, “I don’t know what I’m supposed to do.” That’s an opportunity to talk about wisdom and prayer.
Your child comes home and tells you someone was cruel to them at school. That’s an opportunity to talk about forgiveness, dignity, and what Jesus teaches us about loving our enemies.
You see someone struggling as you’re walking through the neighborhood. That’s an opportunity to talk about loving your neighbor.
You receive an unexpected provision. That’s an opportunity to stop and say, “Let’s thank God for that.”
You don’t have to turn every conversation into a sermon. In fact, you probably shouldn’t. But you can allow the reality of God to become part of the way your family interprets life.
And it may not always be so obvious. When my children were heading into their teen years, my wife and I were given really good advice. They said: “Once your children stop looking to you and start looking to their friends, always say ‘yes’ to their requests to spend time together.” They were right! Those moments became less and less frequent. They would ask us for a ride to the mall or want to go to some store as their request, but inevitably it was on those trips that they opened up about what was really going on in their lives.
That’s what the Shema is teaching us. “When you sit. When you walk. When you lie down. When you get up.”
In other words, ordinary life becomes discipleship. Remember, the life of a disciple of Jesus is marked by surrender, and when we surrender the daily parts of our life, we are more apt to follow the ways of Jesus.
And parents, grandparents, mentors, and everyone who has someone coming behind them, don’t underestimate the power of that. You may think the big moments are what matter most, but often it’s the accumulation of small moments that shapes a person’s faith.
Over time, those moments become a worldview. They begin to answer the question, “What does it actually look like to follow Jesus?” And that’s what it means to impress God’s Word on the next generation.
Tell the Story
One of the most important ways we impress God’s Word on the next generation is by telling the story.
Psalm 78 tells us that one generation is supposed to tell the next generation about the works of God. Why? Because every generation is only one generation away from forgetting.
Israel had a story they were supposed to remember. They had been slaves, and God delivered them. They had been trapped, and God made a way. They had been hungry, and God provided. They had wandered, and God remained faithful.
My people, hear my teaching; listen to the words of my mouth. I will open my mouth with a parable; I will utter hidden things, things from of old things we have heard and known, things our ancestors have told us. We will not hide them from their descendants; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, his power, and the wonders he has done. He decreed statutes for Jacob and established the law in Israel, which he commanded our ancestors to teach their children, so the next generation would know them, even the children yet to be born, and they in turn would tell their children. Then they would put their trust in God and would not forget his deeds but would keep his commands. They would not be like their ancestors— a stubborn and rebellious generation, whose hearts were not loyal to God, whose spirits were not faithful to him. – Psalm 78:1-8
Again and again, God tells His people: Don’t forget. Tell your children, your grandchildren, the next generation. That’s still part of our calling.
Tell your story.
Tell your children how you met Jesus. Tell them about the season when God provided for you. Tell them about the prayer that God answered. Tell them about the prayer that He didn’t answer the way you expected. Tell them about the people God used to shape your life. Tell them about the mistakes you made and the grace you received.
Your children don’t need parents who pretend they have everything figured out. They need parents who can say, “I’ve seen God be faithful.”
They need to hear you say, “I don’t know why this happened, but I know God is still good.”
They need to hear, “I made a mistake, and I need to ask you to forgive me.”
They need to hear, “Here’s what God has taught me.”
Your story matters because people can argue with doctrine, but it’s much harder to argue with a transformed life.
“This is what Jesus has done in me.” That’s a story worth telling.
And when we tell the story, faith becomes more than information. It becomes an inheritance.
Make Room
But the story doesn’t stop with our families. The gospel always expands the table.
Jesus was constantly making room for people who didn’t naturally belong together. He welcomed Pharisees and tax collectors. He welcomed women and children. He welcomed sinners and outcasts. He welcomed people who were rejected by the religious and social systems of His day.
The gospel continually expands the table.
Our natural instinct is usually the opposite. We create tables where people like us feel comfortable. We surround ourselves with people who think like us, look like us, live like us, and share our values.
But Jesus continually disrupted that instinct.
Think about the story Jesus tells in Luke 10. A man asks Jesus, “Who is my neighbor?” It’s an interesting question because he’s really looking for a boundary. He’s asking, “Who do I actually have to love?”
Jesus responds with the story of the Good Samaritan. A man is beaten and left on the side of the road. Religious people walk by. But the person who stops is a Samaritan, someone Jesus’ audience would not have expected to be the hero of the story.
Jesus turns the question around. Instead of asking, “Who qualifies as my neighbor?” He asks us to become the kind of person who acts like a neighbor.
The gospel doesn’t teach us to identify worthy people, but it does compel us to become people who make room.
And again, our children are watching.
Imagine a child growing up in a home where hospitality is normal. Where neighbors are welcomed. Where friends are invited. Where people from different backgrounds can sit around the same table. Where the lonely have a place. Where generosity isn’t unusual. Where serving isn’t something we talk about but something we practice.
- That child begins to learn something about the gospel simply by watching.
- They learn that our home isn’t just for us.
- They learn that what God has given us can be shared.
- They learn that people matter.
- They learn that strangers can become friends.
- They learn that hospitality isn’t about having the perfect house or the perfect meal. Hospitality is about making room.
And maybe that’s part of what Moses means when he says, “Impress them on your children.”
We don’t simply tell our children to love their neighbor.
We show them what loving a neighbor looks like.
And so I want to ask again: What are you impressing? What are you repeating?
Could it be that we’re impressing something that is temporary: Achievement Comfort Reputation Fear Success is the ultimate goal
Or maybe, by the grace of God, we’re impressing something far more lasting:
That God is faithful. Jesus is enough. That people matter. Grace is real. Our lives belong to God. That our home can have an open door. That the table has room for one more. That following Jesus isn’t just something we say. It’s something we live.
That’s why Deuteronomy 6 is so important.
God isn’t simply asking Israel to raise children who know the right answers. He’s calling them to raise a generation that knows the God behind those answers. A generation that knows His faithfulness, that trusts Him, loves Him. A generation that carries His story forward.
And that is our calling too.
We can’t make the decision for the next generation. We can’t force our children to love Jesus. We can’t manufacture faith in them. But we can give them a story worth remembering.
We can give them a home where faith is real, where conversations and questions are welcomed. We can give them a table where people are welcomed.
We can give them a picture of what it looks like to repent, forgive, serve, pray, worship, and trust God. We can impress God’s Word on them. And someday, when they are sitting around their own tables, our prayer is that they will remember.
They’ll remember the stories and conversations, and how they’re hearts came alive.
A Word to Parents
And maybe some of you hear this and immediately think, “I’ve failed at this.” Maybe you wish you had done more. Maybe you wish you had talked about Jesus more. Maybe there are conversations you wish you could go back and have.
Maybe there are things you wish you had modeled differently. If that’s you, hear the good news of the gospel: there is grace for parents/grandparents too.
You don’t have to be a perfect parent to disciple your children. You need Jesus.
And one of the most powerful things you can show your children is what it looks like to need Jesus.
When you lose your temper…apologize.
When you get it wrong…admit it.
When you don’t know the answer, say…”I don’t know.”
When you need forgiveness…ask for it.
When you’re afraid…pray.
When you don’t understand what God is doing…trust Him anyway.
Let your children see that following Jesus doesn’t mean pretending you are perfect.
That is discipleship and what it means to impress God’s Word on them.
So, hear, O Israel. Hear, Church. Hear, parents. Hear, grandparents. Hear, mentors.
Hear, everyone who has someone coming behind them.
Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and strength.
And then— impress it on your children. Talk about it when you sit. Talk about it when you walk. Talk about it when you lie down. Talk about it when you get up. Carry it beyond the table.
Let your ordinary life become the place where the next generation learns what it means to follow Jesus. And then let that generation carry it further than you ever could.
And this isn’t just for parents.
- Discipleship in many ways is re-parenting other people’s kids.
- You can actively do this by serving with our kids or teens or young adults. You can do this by leading a small group of adults.
- You can do this by befriending someone younger in their faith or someone without faith at your work, in your neighborhood, or among your extended family, and friends.
- Ask them questions about their life and spiritual journey.
- Share your story. Walk out your faith in your relationship with them and help them find faith and then walk in faith.
- Become a big brother, big sister, uncle, or auntie to those around you.
Beyond the table, the mission continues.
