Is Lent Law?

On the face of it, Lent strikes us as Law.

"Unless you repent, you will all . . . perish." (Luke 13:3)

And what does it mean to repent? First, that that we confess our sinfulness. Second, that we believe in the work of Christ to pay for our sins. And third, that we turn from our sin to lead a godly life.

More Law? No. All three parts of repentance (confession, faith, and godly living) are God at work in us by His grace. God works in us the desire to confess, else we would not recognize our sin. God works faith in us through His Word, else we would trust only in ourselves. God works in us to will and to do that which pleases Him.

Lent is a somber season, for it forces us to see clearly that our sinfulness required Jesus' sacrifice. But, Lent is also a vivid revelation of God's love and grace. "He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?" (Romans 8:32)

God bless you as you share His Lenten love with His children through His Word!

Demographics? Or Something Else?

I have heard recently that research shows a direct correspondence between birthrates and Sunday School attendance across the United States, as if to say, "The reason our Sunday School is declining is that our members are having fewer children."

I don't buy it. That sounds to me like an excuse.

Arnold C. Mueller, synod's editor of Sunday School materials from 1933 to 1966, prepared a document titled "The Sunday School Standard" that suggested five characteristics of a strong Sunday School:

1. A sound educational program (classes for all ages, doctrinally sound materials, each teacher receives all desired materials, classes weekly all year round for at least an hour a week)
2. Adequate and trained leadership (teachers are carefully selected, well trained, well prepared, and publicly recognized; teachers meetings are held twice a month; training courses held each year)
3. A planned mission endeavor (mission work is stressed, students and teachers are trained to be personal missionaries, mission offerings are gathered regularly, at least 80% of eligible students are enrolled, all members are contacted annually to enroll, absentees are contacted by phone or visited, plans are made to improve enrollment and attendance each year)
4. Good administration and equipment (Sunday School is administered by a board of the congregation, adequate space and furnishings are provided, sufficient funds to operate the Sunday School are budgeted annually by the congregation)
5. Vital home and church relationships (Sunday School students also attend church with their families, parents are frequently contacted by teachers and administrators, parents are encouraged to discuss lessons at home)

Where the characteristics Rev. Mueller describes are evident in a congregation and its Sunday School, the Sunday School will thrive because God's Word will be shared in and through it. God promises to bless our efforts to spread His Word (Isaiah 55:11).

The truth is that Sunday School is now, and always has been, hard work. Are we truly making an effort?

God bless you as you teach His children His Word!

Ashes, Dust, and the Gospel

We started Lent Wednesday evening with the Divine Service preceded by imposition of ashes and the solemn reminder, "Remember you are dust and to dust you will return." It is a helpful reminder of our mortality and our sinful nature. It is Law.

The essence of excellent Lutheran education is a right teaching of Law and Gospel. At times, I suspect we may fail to get the right balance (letting the Gospel predominate) or the right order (Law followed always by Gospel). It is a failing from which humorist Garrison Keillor has often drawn his material, such as this verse from his poem Habañera.

Well, if you’re shy and from the Midwest

And grow up Lutheran, it’s always Lent

He wanted music, laughter and music

But guilt was his mother’s favorite instrument

I would desire that we make the Gospel, rather than the Law, our ultimate goal even during Lent. Let each lesson we teach in this solemn season "show us our sin," yes (Law), but also "show us our Savior" (Gospel).

May God bless you this Lent as you teach His children His Word!

 

Help! CPH Changed My Sunday School Material!

"The lessons no longer align with the Church Year!"
"They forgot the Easter lesson!"
"No wonder! They forgot to put dates on the lessons."

Yep. CPH changed things up in September 2015, and our customers are beginning to notice. Lessons are now organized into 9 themed units, four Old Testament and for New Testament, and the 13 lessons in each unit are organized chronologically. There are no dates to be found. And each unit as it is published will be stocked in the warehouse for purchase in any quarter of the year.

Would you like to teach the Bible in your Sunday School chronologically from Genesis to Revelation? Starting with fall 2016 that becomes a possibility.

Why? It turns out that the most expensive way to publish Sunday School material is by pegging it to the liturgical calendar, which then requires that every quarter of material be re-edited every year to accommodate the shifting calendar. As most Sunday Schools decline and congregational budgets get tighter, it was getting harder and harder to provide material without large increases in prices.

There are some major positives that result from this change.

• Congregations have greater flexibility to start the fall quarter on a date other than the first Sunday in September.
• They can choose the order in which to teach the nine units.
• They can save teaching material and unused student material to use in two or three years when that unit comes up again. The material will not change, so everything will still work together.
• They can stretch out each quarter if there is no Sunday School due to weather, or holidays, or other special occasions.

A couple of things become a little harder:

• It is harder to keep all teachers on the same page. (We have provided several tools for noting when lessons are scheduled by your congregation to be taught, but someone needs to decide those dates and publish them to all the teachers.)
• It is harder to teach children about the Church Year. Church Year Connections is a new annual resource that provides material for opening worship (either with the entire Sunday School or in your classroom) that is focused on the current Sunday of the Church Year. A feature of this resource is a complete set of "Teaching Points for Children" that can be woven into your lessons.
• Each winter and spring, CPH will provide free lessons for Christmas and Easter (more savings!) to supplement the material you purchased.

CPH understands that after 30 years of dated Sunday School material, this change will take some getting used to. We apologize for your frustration. Please know that some things have NOT changed.

• The Gospel of Jesus Christ is still central to every single lesson.
• Law and Gospel are correctly taught at all levels.
• The Small Catechism and hymnal are integrated into our curricula.
• The Bible is accurately taught through the text and images in every lesson.

God bless you as you teach His children His Word!