Broken

I am in the middle of reading one of the most powerful books I've read in a long time: Broken: 7 "Christian" Rules that Every Christian Ought to Break as Often as Possible.

In this book, Jonathan Fisk (RevFisk on YouTube.com) examines seven counterfeit rules that many churches today teach as doctrine but that have no basis in Scripture.

Others have lamented the drift of young people away from the Church. Fisk lays out some of the false promises some churches make to their young people and explores God's Word as it touches on each area. You will find these teachings in churches near you, or perhaps even in the glitzy material someone has chosen for your Sunday School.

None of these false doctrines is new; they have been around for centuries. But all of them find expression in contemporary American religion. You will learn to identify and avoid:

• Mysticism
• Moralism
• Rationalism
• Prosperity
• Ecclesiology
• Lawlessness
• Worship of Self

God's Word clearly teaches that He comes to us in the Word He has inspired and preserved for our instruction, the Bible, and the Sacraments He ordained for our good, Baptism and the Lord's Supper. Fisk's discussion of authentic Christianity in Broken is truly worth your time to read.

Where do you see one or more of these seven "rules" at work in your church or community?

If you agree with Rev. Fisk's assessment of the false doctrines we need to oppose, how will you change how and what you teach?

God bless you as you teach His children His Word!

Do No Harm

It is a basic assumption in the moral and ethical systems of many bodies, organizations, and professions (for example, in the Hippocratic oath familiar to many in the medical profession), that we human beings not deliberately harm others. It is implied in the Commandment "Do not kill." And it is worth consideration by those who choose the material to be used in their Sunday School classes individually or as a leader.

Surely we want to "do no harm" to the children, youth, and adults who join us in studying God's Word. We do not want to place in the hands of students or untrained volunteers material that will mislead them or contradict the clear teaching that God gives salvation through faith in the work of Jesus Christ as our Savior from sin.

It always amazes me that some Sunday School leaders, pastors, and directors of Christian education don't get it.

How does your church insure that the material you teach each Sunday "does no harm"?

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

Immanuel, God with Us

On this Eighth Day of Christmas, it's worth remembering that God is still Immanuel, "God with us."

Yes, He is with us "in the broad sense," a spiritual/Spiritual sense suggested by Luke 1:28 or perhaps Matthew 28:20.

But He is more specifically with us "in the narrow sense," in the Means of Grace, in the Word He has given us, the Holy Scriptures and the "Word made flesh," and in the Sacrament of the Altar where Jesus is truly present in the bread and wine.

We (and the children we teach) cannot see or touch the Spirit or the spiritual Jesus, but we can hold the Word in our hands as we teach, knowing that it comes from God Himself. We taste and see the elements of the Lord's Supper knowing that by God's Word "this is My body . . . blood."

Jesus is "God with us" in Word and Sacrament, in each Divine Service, in each Sunday School lesson. That's a powerful promise from Immanuel!

God's blessings this year as you teach God's children His Word.

Peace!

• To families touched by violence and death, including many in Newtown, Connecticut . . .
• To co-workders touched by grief at the death of loved
  ones . . .
• To teachers who teach classes large and small with whatever resources the congregation will provide . . .
• To students who are distracted by many competing demands on their time and their hearts . . .

The angels near Bethlehem, and the angels near where you live, bring a message of peace on earth.

Not peace because we humans are good; we're not.

Peace because God is good; He is! He conquered our enemies of sin, death, and Satan through a bloody victory on the cross to win us forgiveness, new life, and eternal salvation.

I pray that you will have many opportunities to teach God's children that Good News in the week ahead.

A Class of One

It may be that some Sunday in the next month, many teachers will be faced with a very difficult situation . . . a class of one. It it not surprising that many will find this situation difficult of a couple of levels. Let's deal with two specific areas of concern.
Physically
In our present societal culture, my first piece of advice, when faced with a single student when it comes time to start your Sunday School class is this: don't.
I encourage all agencies of the Church to adhere to a two-deep policy: two adults present at all times with children. This is especially true when there is only one child in the class. How could anyone in the church be concerned about my conduct, you might ask. Tom Nummela must have a warped mind. None the less, for the protection of the volunteers involved as well as the children, this should be a  matter of policy. It is often mandated by your church's insurance carrier.
If you find there are just two of you in the room . . .

• Join another class, one level up or down as needed. The other teacher will probably be surprised, but things will sort out quickly and everyone will benefit.
• Recruit another adult or parent to join you. The child's parent would be ideal. Everyone will be more at ease.

In either case, explanations will be a whole lot easier if it is simply in response to the church's policy.
Educationally
Assuming that you have that extra body in the room and are going ahead with the lesson, consider these realities:

• Discussion may be difficult.
• The lesson will go very quickly.
• It is time to get personal.

Getting personal will help on several levels.
As the teacher, be personal. Share your story. Make sure the student knows that you teach about Jesus because you love Jesus and know He cares for you. Reveal enough about yourself to give the student some opportunities to relate to you.
With the student, get personal. Spend some time at the beginning of class to get to know the student. Ask fact questions about family, pets, school, hobbies, sports, and other interests. Even if you know the child well, get to know him or her even better. The point here is both to learn and to let the student practice talking to you. When the lesson discussion comes around you'll find it will go much better.
Read the Bible account, re-tell the account, and ask review questions. The review could be a two-person drama, perhaps. You'll have time to round up a few props, practice the lines, and really get it right.
Build your review and application questions like a pyramid. Lay a base of easy questions, ones with obvious answers. Structure the questions so that the student cannot answer in one or two words. (Remember, you want the student to get comfortable conversing with you.) After the base has been laid, look for the analysis questions that will unpack motivation, why the people in the story acted as they did, and why God acted as He did in this situation.
When it comes to application, lead the student to see that he or she is like the person God helps in the story, more than the one who helps (not the Good Samaritan, but the man who fell among thieves; not the shepherd or the woman who lost the coin or the father, but the lost sheep, coin, and son).
As you teach, decide whether the application activities in the lesson will work with just one student. Invent your own craft ideas as you go along. Invite the student to illustrate the story on the board, or draw a picture on paper to share with parents. Take the child along to the supply room to gather some cool stuff to create some take-home art.

Finally, be brave. Sing the songs suggested in the lesson; no one will hear but you and an audience of one. Try something new; if it doesn't work, your learning partner will be forgiving. Above all, let the Gospel shine clearly. The class of one is a rare opportunity to assure that child of God's love and forgiveness in a personal way. Make the most of it.

God bless you as you teach God's child His Word.

Children's Christmas Service or God's Word?

What will your Sunday School be doing for the next three Sundays? Teaching God's Word using the curriculum you've paid good money for? Or rehearsing for the annual children's Christmas service?

The children's Christmas service is a wonderful teaching opportunity in and of itself. It not only teaches God's Word, Law and Gospel, to the children (I hope and pray that this is so), but it provides an opportunity for the children to be the teachers, sharing God's wonderful Christmas Gospel with the congregation members, family, and friends who attend. It is an event that offers spectacular visibility for your Sunday School within the congregation and in your community. By all means, continue this tradition in your congregation or begin it.

But don't let it crowd out the Sunday School's agenda for teaching the Bible's salvation narrative in an organized sequence of lessons. Keep this main thing the main thing, even in December. Here are some tips for preparing for the Christmas service with a minimum or disruption.

• Use the musical selections of the service in school-wide or classroom openings and closing in December.
• Practice for the service outside of Sunday School time. I had mostly seen these rehearsals run on a couple of Saturday mornings in December. Yes, it is another family commitment during a very busy time of the year, but parents are usually highly committed to this event. If they understand that the Saturday rehearsals are the price of participating in it, they will usually bite the bullet and make it work. (And it can be a great kid-free shopping window, though you don't have to advertise it as such.)
• If using some Sunday time is essential to make it work, don't surrender the entire hour. Use a half hour. Or keep the kids for an extra 20 minutes after class for rehearsal.
• Send home unused Sunday School materials (leaflets and craft pages) with the children with a note suggesting how they can be used to teach or review the lesson at home. 

God bless you as you, and your children, teach His children His Word!

Since When?

When did it happen that clear presentation of the Gospel became just one of many criteria measured during the selection of material for teaching Sunday School lessons?

Those evaluating Sunday School material measure . . .
. . . cost per student.
. . . engaging activities.
. . . colorful illustrations.
. . . how well the lessons match the Church Year.
. . . activities to take the lesson into the home.
. . . developmental appropriateness.
. . . ease of teacher preparation.
. . . effectiveness in teaching the Gospel.

That's great! These things should be considered. Absolutely! But it seems often that these criteria, and others considered important in a given location, are given more or less equal weight. Cost per student or engaging activities may out-weigh the doctrinal content for the material when the final selection is made.

Obviously, I am not without bias. My life's work these days is to prepare Sunday School material that changes hearts and touches lives through the clear proclamation of the Gospel in every lesson. But it seems to me that the Gospel ought to count for more.

Given that God's Word of Law and Gospel, sin and grace, is at the heart of Scripture and the only means by which lives can be changed for good, is it really wise to choose any material in which the light of Gospel does not shine?