Put on Wings with the Gospel

Nearly forty years ago, I learned a beautiful text from a rock musical by John Fisher, called The New Covenant.

"Do this and live," the Law demands,

But gives me neither feet nor hands.

A better way [the Gospel] brings:

It bids me fly and give me wings.
(© 1974 John Fisher)

This is the essence of a great Lutheran Sunday School lesson. Our sinful nature has neither the ability nor the inclination to live according to the Law; therefore the Law condemn us. Those who would trust in the Law for salvation are doomed to failure in a Romans 7:18 existence. But our salvation comes not from the Law, but from the Gospel. That which is impossible under the compulsion of the Law, God accomplishes for us through the proclamation of the Gospel: forgiveness of sins, new life, and salvation.

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

Faith in a Post-Boston World

A colleague, Mark Sengele, is teaching his high school Bible class using Life's Big Questions, God's Big Answers (CPH 203486 $7.99 on sale). He made this relevant point to his students yesterday in the wake of the Boston Marathon bombs.

Your worldview will dynamically affect how you view the event. Those who come away from the Boston news with Christian views will see a fallen world and look to their Savior for comfort, forgiveness, healing, and eternal rest. Law and Gospel.

Those without faith in Christ will seek comfort in better regulation (and perhaps tighter controls on pressure cookers). But we know that the Law is not an answer for sin. The Law cannot eliminate sinful behavior; though at times it can be an effective curb, the Law's purpose is to reveal sin, to demonstrate our shortcomings and prepare us for the Gospel promises.

We can and should support the efforts of the civil authorities to promote the health, safety, and welfare of all citizens. But we cannot trust in civil authority alone to solve the problem of sin in our world. Dealing swiftly and justly with those who hurt and kill others is a good thing. But the only antidote for sin is God's grace, shown in the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus, for the sins of all humankind.

God bless you as you teach His children His Word of grace!

What Can We Teach about the Boston Tragedy?

Questions may come up on Sunday from your students about the startling attack on the Boston Marathon, and the explosion in West, Texas, this week.

What is a teacher to do? 

• Point students to their very big God, who promises to care for us, His children, in all circumstances. We don't always see how He is working, but we know from the promises in His Word that this is so. Point out that God has given His own Son to ensure a joyous eternity for all who trust in Him, including victims of terror and perpetrators of the same (recalling Jesus' promise to the thief on the cross).
• Pray for those touched by this event: loved ones of those who died, those who have been hurt and are in need of healing, the first-responders, the doctors and other health care providers, and all who are touched by fear. Pray that God will heal broken lives and use every circumstance to extend His kingdom.

Concordia Publishing House has a couple of good resources you might want to consider for purchase or recommend. My thanks to Pam Nummela, my wife and colleague at CPH, for suggesting them.

• For children, a book called “I Will Not Be Afraid” by Michelle Medlock Adams (Item 562423; on sale for $4.) The book leads off with a list of fears children have, including troubles events like war. It says “God is bigger than anything, lots bigger than my fears” and reminds us about God’s presence, protection, and grace now and forever. Pam likes that it speaks in first person so a kid can say the poems rhyme and take it in. There is also a Bible verse on every page pointing to God’s Holy Word. A couple of tips for parents are at the end. Gives good words to kids and parents in the face of unspeakable tragedy.
• For adults, there is “Where Is God Now?” (513004; $2.60 and there’s quantity pricing). It’s a pocket-sized sixty devotion book written especially for those suffering disaster and includes prayers, hymns, and Scripture.

God bless you as you teach His children His Word!

Sunday School and Sexuality

In my role as senior editor for Sunday School materials at Concordia Publishing House, I get a bit of mail. Today brought an anonymous letter from a concerned retired teacher. Her concern is that Sunday School not teaching sufficiently what the Bible says on the issue of homosexuality.

We more often get correspondence on the other side of this issue, from teachers who are uncomfortable with teaching lessons that touch on sexuality issues (David's sin with Bathsheba, for example, or Joseph fleeing the advances of Potiphar's wife).

What age is an appropriate time for Sunday School lessons that include discussion of things things? I suspect it might be different for different topics: adultery, homosexuality, dating and marriage, and others. I also suspect that there might be some regional a differences, congregations more comfortable teaching such things at different ages.

What would your teachers be comfortable with?

I will confess that to considerable caution. The best place for these discussions is in the Christian home. A child's parents have a responsibility, as well as the most natural opportunities, to teach these things.

At most any age, the Church can teach about sin, including sins of a sexual nature, in the most general way: these are reasons that each of us needs a Savior, and sins for which Christ died. Beyond that, I'd be willing to stay out of the sexuality subjects completely.

This is another area where teachers will need to be the final editor. You know what your students need to know, and you know what their parents will expect of you in your role as the Sunday School teacher for their children. A curriculum's inclusion of such topics, or their omission, does not intend to force you into uncomfortable discussions.

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

Is Sunday School Necessary in Your Congregation?

• Not if all families in your congregation are fulfilling their vocations and living as God's children twenty-four seven.
• Not if your children are continuing as lifelong Christians through their teenage and young adult lives, attending the Divine Service regularly and immersing themselves in God's Word.
• Not if the children in your congregation are immune to the temptations of the devil, the world, and their own sinful flesh.
• Not if your students never encounter a skewed teaching that distorts the Gospel and proclaims instead a need to earn salvation through personal effort.
• Not if your students are already biblically literate and knowledgeable about the doctrines of the Lutheran Church.
• Not if your pastor's sermons are equally helpful to children and adults.
• Not if your church never has visitors who are eager to learn more about Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior from sin.
• Not if there are other programs of Christian education that are more convenient for and utilized by all the families of your congregation.

For congregations that are not quite there yet, Sunday School remains a time-tested opportunity for children, youth, and adults to study God's Word using age-appropriate materials that are centered on Christ.

God bless you teach His children His Word!

Who Is Most Important to Sunday School Health? Children or Parents?

Who do you focus on to promote Sunday School health? Children or parents?

This a long-standing question, much like "Which came first, the chicken or the egg?"

Lots of factors favor the parents as having the key role.

• It is self-evident that most students rely on their parents in order to participate in Sunday School.
• Parents set a powerful example for their children when they are active in adult Bible study while the children are in Sunday School.
• Parents, at least in theory, have the power to enforce an "our family goes to Sunday School every Sunday" rule.

In practice, I observe many parents abdicating their responsibility for leadership in this area. They go to great lengths to get their children into activities that compete with Sunday School for precious weekend time. They let their children choose whether to attend Sunday School or not. They seem always ready to accept at face value their child's claim that Sunday School is boring and is not fun.

Each Sunday brings proof that "the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak."

One possible response is to accept as status quo that children are now in the power position. Our goal then becomes one of marketing to the children, or marketing to the parents' desire to please their children. That seems to me to be a losing battle. Much effort will be expended in that which is not at the heart of the Sunday School experience.

Another possible response is to focus again on why we have Sunday School in the first place. Sunday School exists to help parents fulfill their goal of teaching the Christian faith to their children. We provide an experience in God's Word that the Sunday morning tournament game, the restaurant breakfast, or the extra hour of sleep cannot provide. The Sunday School's unique "product," the benefit that only God's Word can provide, is the Gospel, the good news of forgiveness, life, and salvation. God promises that His Word will accomplish the purpose for which He sends it (Isaiah 55:11).

God bless you are to teach His children that Word!