The lesson for this Sunday in the CPH Sunday School materials is about Elijah and the prophets of Baal. It teaches clearly how our students can tell whether they are hearing the Gospel or a false religion. It is all about who does the work.
Baal
The worship of Baal and all other false god's is easy to recognize. Idolatry requires me to do a lot of work. Baal's prophets sang and danced and prayed and even cut themselves with knives, seeking to gain their god's attention and favor. They did all the work; Baal did nothing. If your students leave your classroom with a larger burden than when they arrived, they didn't hear the Gospel.
True God, True Gospel
The Gospel is good news because it tell us who really does the work. Not us. We are sinful. Our work is flawed, half-hearted, selfish, or nonexistent. We do not love God with our whole heart or our neighbors as ourselves. God does not require our work, our compliance with His Law, our sacrifice. God provides the sacrifice that will fulfill His righteous Law, and His provides the gift of His means of grace, His Word and Sacraments, that we might believe and trust in Him. He shows and tells His love, sends Jesus to pay for our sins, He gives us the gift of faith in His Son through His Spirit, and through His Word and Spirit He keeps us in that faith.
Lift Their Hearts
You have the opportunity this week to lift the hearts of your students, to lighten their burden. Help them leave their load of sin at the foot of the cross. Tell them the truth of God's love and forgiveness. Send them away with His peace and joy.
What a privilege! God bless you as you teach His children His Word.
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