Church Year Connections, Year C

The first of three annual volumes of Church Year Connections is now available. This product includes a full year of resources, in print and on CD, that allow a Sunday School teacher, director, or pastor, to connect the children they lead and teach to each Sunday of the Church Year through seasonal songs and hymns, object lessons, collects, and teaching points. In some Sunday Schools, this resource can replace the Directors Guide they currently purchase.

Though our CPH Sunday School materials no longer have specific Sundays on which they need to be taught, your church does not need to give up teaching students about the liturgical calendar and the Sundays of the Church Year.

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

As the Twig Is Bent, So Grows the Tree

A question for the parents in your congregation: "Where do you want your children to be, spiritually speaking, when they are young adults?"

• Worshiping regularly in an orthodox church?
• Growing in God's Word?
• Having daily devoted time?
• Serving others regularly and joyfully?

The follow-up question is obvious: "What are you doing now to fulfill those dreams for your children?"

• Are you bringing them to worship every Sunday? (This is where they will learn to worship.)
• Are you attending Sunday School as a family? (The parents' example is paramount.)
• Do you lead them in devotions daily?
• Does your family serve together to benefit others in your church, neighborhood, and larger community?

Yes, there is a certain amount of Law here, for God's Word shows us how to live our lives in a way that keeps us free from sin and temptation and close to the Means of Grace, God's Word and Sacraments.

As the twig is bent, so grows the tree! Too many parents begin to show concern for their children in the teenage years, as the child begins to grow more independent (as children must) and the parents' influence wanes. Now is the time to build life-long habits of worship, study, and daily devotion.

God bless you as you teach His children His Word!

Faith: Our Work? or God's?

"Faith is a divine work which God demands of us; but at the same time He Himself must implant it in us, for we cannot believe by ourselves." Martin Luther (Luther's Works, American Edition, 1959, 1987 CPH).

So often, this is the point at which heresy creeps in to our teaching of saving faith, for we see believing as our work, what we do in response to God's Word. But, on account of sin, we are enemies of God, unwilling and unable to believe in Christ as our Savior. But, "the Holy Spirit has called me by the Gospel, enlightened me with His gifts, sanctified and kept me in the true faith" (Small Catechism,
Third Article).

What a gift! The very thing that God demands of us, He gives us! Thanks be to God!

God bless you as you teach His children His Word!

That Pesky Lesson about Potiphar's Wife!

One of the toughest criticisms I get as a Sunday School editor hinges on the inclusion of "those awkward stories" in the sequence of lessons we create.

It is made more difficult because we have promised our customers a unified curriculum, that is, the same Scripture text is taught at all levels of our material, early childhood through adult.

The stories with violence net us a few messages from customers each year; the stories involving sex generate even more. Joseph's temptation to sexual sin with Potiphar's wife. David's sinful actions resulting from his lust for Bathsheba. Why don't we just skip these awkward lessons and spare the teacher awkward moments in class? There are several reasons.

• They are part of God's Word. They are often integral to the salvation narrative. They teach important lessons about God's plan for us and His love and forgiveness.
• Sensitivity to these lessons varies greatly from place to place and teacher to teacher. We leave it to the local teacher to make adaptations they need to be comfortable teaching the lesson.
• Those issues about which the Church fails to speak are seen as "fair game" by the world and Christians alike. If we fail in Sunday School to teach what God's Word says about sex outside of marriage, homosexual sexual activity, divorce, and other "tough issues," we leave our children to learn their values in these areas from the world.

Wait! Shouldn't those things be taught in the family by the child's parents? Absolutely. So also should all other lessons that are taught in Sunday School. Our role is to support and supplement the Christian education provided by the home.

So what should the Sunday School teacher do? Know your students and their parents. Communicate with the home whenever there may be concerns. Adapt every lesson to local conditions and sensitivities. But, please don't fail to . . .

Teach God's children His Word!

Count the Cost?

"The only things we spend time and money on are things that we believe are worth more than they cost." Those words were written by Seth Godin in his blog, who describes himself as "a writer, speaker and an agent of change"; you can read the whole post here.

Essentially, he says that when we claim things cost too much, we are really saying we don't believe they are worth what is being asked in payment.

In my opinion, Mr. Godin has put his finger on what is looming as a crisis for Christian education in the LCMS. Sunday School is no longer valued as it once was as an institution for teaching the Gospel. Perhaps there other models for Christian education that will flourish, that is, be seen as worth the cost in dollars, staff time, volunteer commitments, and parental investment. I'm not seeing it however.

Your challenge is clear. If you want to build up your Sunday School, you need to strengthen its reputation for value. You need to convince others---your pastor, parents, church leaders, budget-setters---that Sunday School is worth it!

God bless you as you work to make a priority of teaching God's children His Word.

We Don't Need Sunday School?

"Our children go to our Lutheran Day School."
"We go to church as a family every Sunday."
"We have mealtime devotions."
"We read and discuss Bible stories every night with our children before going to bed."
"We don't need to participate in Sunday School do we?"

My coworker Peter said it well, "Can we ever get too much of God's Word?"

Thanks for teaching God's children His Word in Sunday School!

Where Are the Champions?

Two recent comments about Sunday School stick in my mind as I return this this blog after a bit of time away. (Nothing wrong, just too much to do and too little to say.)

First, my friend and coworker Loren commented that a renewal of Sunday School in our church body had to come through training and invigorating pastors, especially new pastors, about the vital importance of Sunday School in the life and health of the local congregation.

Then, Darryl Wilson (The Sunday School Revolutionary) said it perfectly: pastors need to be champions for Sunday School.

If the pastor is not firmly behind Sunday School in his congregation

• good teachers will be hard to find.
• good material will be a expensive burden instead of a valuable investment.
• good families will find other ways to spend their time.

Yes, pastors have a lot of important responsibilities in their congregations---supporting Sunday School is one of them.

Are you a pastor? Know that God, through His Word and Sacraments as well your members prayers and assistance, is your source of strength. Be a Sunday School champion.

Are you a church leader? Encourage and empower your pastor to actively lead and support your Sunday School. Help him be a Sunday School champion.

Are you a Sunday School teacher or parent? Thank God in prayer for your pastor, and thank your pastor in person for his leadership in the congregation. Encourage him and offer your tangible assistance and support. Pray for your Sunday School champion.

God bless you as you teach His children His Word!