What Must I Do to Inherit Eternal Life?

He asked the wrong question! This account of Jesus' conversation with the rich ruler appears in three of the four Gospels. The title of this post quotes the Mark and Luke accounts (Mark 10:17-27; Luke 18:17-27). But the rich ruler who addressed this question to Jesus asked the wrong question.

"What must I do!" Jesus makes clear to the man, and to us, that this asks the impossible. Human beings do not have the ability to do their own salvation. We have inherited a sinful nature from our first parents. We sin in what we do and in what we do not do. If we seek to merit eternal life, we have already failed.

Jesus' response sends the man away sad.

This question is a key to teaching God's children His Word. Don't send the children you teach away sad, seeking to earn eternal life through moral living, trying to be like Jesus, and failing. Point them instead as Jesus does, to God's strength as the source of eternal life. “With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.”

It's not what we do. It's God's amazing grace! God has done it! He sent Jesus to earn our salvation. He gives us His Word and promise. He washes us clean through our Baptism. He forgives and strengthens us through the Sacrament of the Altar.

Does the curriculum you use teach clearly about Jesus in every lesson, about God's gifts of Baptism and the Lord's Supper? Or does it send children away sad?

God bless you as you teach His children His Word!

Advancing Grades in Summer Sunday School

Two questions:
1. Do you continue Sunday School through the summer? I think you should; you can find out why here and here.
2. Do you promote students to their next grade at the beginning of the summer or at the end?

If you don't have Sunday School during the summer, there's only one advantage to promoting early: that's if the students get the opportunity to meet their next year's teacher before the summer break. But then, when the excitement is at a high, you send them home for the summer to let the new interest die away? That doesn't make sense.

If you do have Sunday School during the summer, I think it makes sense to promote at the beginning of the summer quarter.

• Students have just been promoted in their day school or public school, some (like kindergartners, sixth graders, and eighth graders) may have actually graduated! It's a big deal! "I'm not in second grade anymore, I'm in third grade. Why does the church make be go to second grade all summer?"
• You'll have a Rally Day or Christian Education Sunday at the end of the summer. (You will right?) That's another opportunity to give your Sunday School a boost, attempt to corral those non-attending families and get them back into the Sunday School habit. If you promote at the beginning of the summer, you'll get two opportunities to make Sunday School a big deal.

Summer can be a "low" season. Use any excuse to infuse a little excitement.

(What's that you say? "Tom, why didn't you mention this a few weeks ago?" My bad. So do it on the first or second weekend of July. You can still give Sunday School a little boost this summer.)

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

Time for a Change?

A marketing study I reviewed recently, including a broad range of denominations using curriculum from a multitude of publishers, reported an interesting finding.

Christian churches seem to change Sunday School materials about every two years on average, with many of them changing every year!

Why?

Those who prepared the report did not ask that question. What do you think?

• Is it just for something new?
• Is it because things are not working and changing the curriculum seems the best, only, or easiest fix?
• Is it because leadership changes and wants to make the change?

It makes me wonder, how many Sunday School curricula are there that would really meet the needs of a congregation seeking material that clearly teaches the Bible from a Lutheran perspective? (I know of at least two. : )

How often has your congregation changed Sunday School material?

What prompted the change?

God bless you as you teach His children His Word!

Looking for a Change in Sunday School? Try Cross Explorations!

Last year Concordia Publishing House introduced a new form of Sunday School curriculum. It has been a hit with many congregation, but not a widely adopted as we expected. I think the news of this hybrid "large group/small group meets site rotation" just didn't get out.

If you're looking for something new for your grade one through six students check out Cross Explorations. The curriculum shares the exact same scope and sequence as Growing in Christ, so early childhood children and youth classes can still study identical Bible accounts each week. (Note: this is a September through May curriculum; for this summer check out "I Spy Salvation's Story.")

Scroll down a bit on the CE link above and view an informative video about this material.

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