“Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord: And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.”
In this scripture God is talking about the whole purpose of the earth – it’s all about families – turning the hearts of fathers (and mothers) and children to each other. It’s all about family.
This scripture has special significance for Joe - I was a lay reader at St. John's Episcopal Church in Worthington during the middle to late 1960s. A lay reader assists the priest during the service. There is a point where the lay reader is to pick several prayers from the Book of Common Prayer to read to the congregation. Interestingly, out of the 2 or 3 prayers I was to read I would always include Malachi 4: 5-6. I remember once a lady asked me after church why I always picked that prayer to read and I replied, "I don't know, but I'm always drawn to it - it is so important to have peace in the family and among generations if we ever are to have peace in the world, it has to start at home and among families."
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image - The moon dots the i in Families Are Forever plaque high in a window at Joe & Julia's home
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