What does the Fox Say?

If you haven’t heard the song, blessed are you.  A song with the above title is the latest internet craze.  Gangham Style is ancient news and the Harlem Shake has come to a still and silent end. Here is the video of The Fox.  Be the one of the first 175 Million to watch it:

The song is crazy and the video is likewise. At the heart of the song though is a quite normal event.  It is about a grandpa reading a young child a story of animal noises. Everybody knows what the cow says and the duck, but what about the fox? No one knows. The fun part of the song with all those crazy noises is meant to be the grandpa making up something that the fox might say since he does not really know.

Why am I writing about this?  Well because the song is stuck in my head and I want you to suffer the same fate.   Just kidding.

I write it because theses day when I thinking about a child and parent together with a book open in front of them, I think of the teaching of the faith in the home which I am convinced is so neglected and so vital.

No parent begins to read a book about animals sounds to their child and then in terror stops thinking, “What if my child asks that question I do not know the answer to, ‘What does the fox say?’  I guess I will just will not read the book.”

And yet many parents do not teach the faith in a intentional way because they are fearful of questions they may not be able to answer.  Here is my suggestion.  Do like you do with any other book.  Just teach them what you do know.  Teach them what is laid out in the book before you (may I suggest Luther’s Small Catechism).  If you are a Christian, you do know the most important things you need to teach your children.  Teach them they are sinners and Jesus has died for them.   Think of that as the what a cow and duck says part of the faith.  If your child really asks you something you do not know, just make up random noise and dance around a little.  Either that or ask your pastor and get back to them.  But don’t let Satan use simple fear to stop you from giving your children Jesus on a daily basis.  They need you to feed them Him as much as they need breakfast, lunch, and dinner.