Thanksgiving

Our choir sang a choral gradual for Thanksgiving that will stick with me for a long time, I hope. It is a wonderful arrangement by Carl Schalk of a prayer by George Herbert:

"Thou [who] hast given so much to me,
Give one thing more, a grateful heart;
Not thankful when it pleaseth me,
As if Thy blessings had spare days,
But such a heart whose pulse may be Thy praise."

Thank God that His generousity, His gifts to us, are constant and plentiful, never sparse [spare], and not dependent on our prayers or our gratitude.

I have so much to be grateful for, and, sadly, am never so generous with my thanks as God is with His gifts.

God's grace at work!

Thank you for teaching God's children His Word.

Simple Truth, the Gospel Is Not Simple

Preparing lessons with clear proclamation of the Gospel heart and core is not an easy task. There are many ways in which things can fall short.

If a lesson has been written without clear proclamation of the Gospel, teaching it in a way that adds God's grace back in is even harder.

The Gospel needs to be the starting place not the optional accessory to the lesson.

Just saying.

God bless you as you teach God's Word of Gospel to His children.

Teacher, Resist the Temptation

Resist the temptation to cover everything in the teacher guide, lest you cover everything including the intended key point.

The publisher has probably delivered more than enough material to you, so that you have enough for that extended hour or small class that rips through the lesson in record time. This is good news! It gives you options.

But you are the one who decides. Keep the key point in mind, that kernel of Law and Gospel that will deliver the Good News of Jesus' love to your students. Choose the parts of the lesson that make the most sense for communicating that Gospel to the specific students you have in that specific classroom on Sunday. Adapt, review, invent, re-weave. Make the lesson your own. But don't try to teach it all! Teach the main thing in an engaging way.

Next week your students will be back to hear more!

God bless you as you teach God's children His Word!

Sunday School for the Small Church

What do folks mean when they ask for "Sunday School materials for the small church"?

• Material that works with ultra-small classes?
• Material that works with combined grades?
• Material for all students (preschool through upper grades) in the same room?
• Material for churches with just one or two teachers?
• Material that works in small classrooms, or where classes meet in close proximity without the benefit of walls and doors?
• Material for churches that can't afford copiers?
• Material for churches that can't afford to purchase leaflets?

I wonder at times whether what is really being asked for is material that requires little or no advance preparation and material that costs next to nothing to purchase.

Me? I'm always suspicious of the easy and cheap stuff. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is (too good to be true).

Teaching God's children His Word is often, maybe even always, hard work that requires preparation to be most effective. And material that will make it happen is worth paying for.

What am I missing?

Maybe there is a "leaner and meaner" way to do Sunday School material?

I'd love to hear your ideas.