A Father's Eagle Scout Charge

I had the great joy of seeing my son officially receive his Boy Scout Eagle rank today. I gave him a charge at the end of the Scout court of honor. This is my charge to him.

We are honored by all of you that have come to David’s Eagle Court of Honor. As I look out around here at those who are here, and those who could not be here but had a significant impact on David's life, I am reminded that this Scout troop is part of the ministry of this church. Our family fits into this context in raising our children. All of you have played a role in David’s life raising, teaching, and preparing David for this moment, whether you were directly a part of Scouting or not. This is one of the reasons you all were invited. I cannot thank you enough for what all of you have done. I also cannot begin to thank God enough for His gracious hand on David's life.

David,

I remember when you were born. You were considerate and polite even then. You came gently, at a convenient time and finished your birth in a timely way – as if you had any control over that. You’re the youngest in the family. Normally, in birth order studies, the youngest child tends to be the most irresponsible and the clown of the family. You can be a clown, but a subtle clown – and you are far from being irresponsible. From an early age, you made sure things were in order in our family affairs. You don’t like being late and made sure we’d get our act together. Also, whatever you took on, you would do it well. I remember when we lived in France how you took upon yourself to watch out for our family. You memorized the Paris Metro, how to get around, and guided us to our destination and back home again. You’d watch the people around us on the Metro, the trains and other public places, and alert us to pickpockets and other dangers.

We’ve enjoyed watching you grow and work with others. You work well with adults, your peers, and children. You’re a valuable member in the youth leadership at this church. You’ve done excellent work with the sound system in this church. You took on bag piping. You perform exceptionally well in solo competitions as well as being a key performer in the Atlanta Pipe Band. You’ve played for funerals, weddings, on TV, and in front of celebrities.

Now you have completed another major milestone in your life. You have earned the rare Scouting rank of Eagle. As your father, I want to charge you with three things:

1. Remember the foundation of your life.
2. Nourish yourself.
3. Love God with all your heart, and love your neighbor as yourself.

Remember the foundation of your life. What I am about to say will come as no surprise to you. As delighted as we are in you, as our son, and in your achievements, you are corrupted with sin, as are the rest of us. This is a real and serious problem. You, me, all of us justly deserve death because of this. Jesus came, lived, died and rose again. In his death, Jesus paid for that sin. In his life, Jesus gives you his right standing with God. You have placed your faith in Jesus, and as a result, Jesus’ death covers your sin, and Jesus’ life gives you Jesus’ right standing with God and makes it yours. You had a huge debt that has been forgiven. You’ve been adopted into God’s family; you have an inheritance that is beyond your imagination. Christ lives in you. Always, always look to Christ. Never forget what God has done for you.

Nourish yourself. Just as our bodies need physical food to sustain life, grow, and develop, so does our whole being need spiritual nourishment to sustain life, grow, and develop. The Old Protestant Reformers called these activities the means of grace. These are the Word, the Sacraments, and prayer. These are called the means of grace, not because they magically save you, but because God has promised to be there in these means of grace. The prime way God strengthens you is through his Word. God is present whenever the Word of God is preached, and whenever you read your Bible. You may not feel God is there, but God tells us he is there. God is present in communion, spiritually, in a very real way. In communion, God will strengthen and nourish you. In prayer, you come before God and interact with him. Prayer is not merely the technique to change ourselves to the sovereign immutable God. God uses prayer as a means to accomplish many things, from healing, helping people, and accomplishing many, many other things.

Love God with all your heart and love others as yourself. What is the most important commandment in the entire Bible? Jesus was asked that question:

One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, "Of all the commandments, which is the most important?" {29} "The most important one," answered Jesus, "is this: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. {30} Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' {31} The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these." (Mark 12:28-34, NIV)

If you read the Scout Oath and the Scout Law, you will see that all of the Oath and Law fit within the parameters of loving God and loving others as yourself. Love God and love others with all that you do each day. This is a tall order to live up to. How do you do it? Go back to the foundation of your life. It is Jesus Christ, his life, his sacrificial and atoning death on the cross, and your clinging to Christ alone for your forgiveness of sins and your right standing before God. Think upon that and your life will be filled with faithful gratitude. Remember the means of grace, the Word, the Sacraments, Prayer. This is how you walk in life, growing, being fashioned by God for service. Finally, love God with all your heart, and love others as yourself. If you do that, you will more than fulfill your duties as an Eagle Scout.