We just finished First Communion instruction at Faith. It is a time of mutual learning more than "instruction". This was evident to me once again when I read the comments on the worship notes the 5th graders handed in. To the question of how she sees herself participating differently in all of worship once she receives Holy Communion, one of the students wrote, "Instead of just listening to the story, I will be in the story."
Wow.
This is why I sometimes bristle at using the word instruction for their preparation time. I am not giving them new knowledge. I am helping them notice in a new way what God has already written on their hearts. Receiving the Lord's Supper helps us all participate in the story of God's redeeming love with more than just our intellect. Worship is a full-on sensory experience.
In Sunday School we concentrate our efforts on helping the students move from thinking about God and Jesus as history (ie: facts and story details) to studying theology- who God is and God's relationship with us and all creation.
We don't just hear the story, we are in the story.
Now we are days away from Holy Week, the most profound part of Jesus' life and our lives together as the Body of Christ. We walk with Jesus to Jerusalem. We feel Jesus' betrayal and pain because he feels ours. We hold our breath from Good Friday to Easter morning because we also live in the paradox of death and new life.
We are in God's story of love and redemption for the whole world.
That 5th grader and her classmates remind me that our journey of faith is not done. We are always learning and growing together. As God's story continues, so does ours in it....forever and ever.
Amen
~ Pam
Wow.
This is why I sometimes bristle at using the word instruction for their preparation time. I am not giving them new knowledge. I am helping them notice in a new way what God has already written on their hearts. Receiving the Lord's Supper helps us all participate in the story of God's redeeming love with more than just our intellect. Worship is a full-on sensory experience.
In Sunday School we concentrate our efforts on helping the students move from thinking about God and Jesus as history (ie: facts and story details) to studying theology- who God is and God's relationship with us and all creation.
We don't just hear the story, we are in the story.
Now we are days away from Holy Week, the most profound part of Jesus' life and our lives together as the Body of Christ. We walk with Jesus to Jerusalem. We feel Jesus' betrayal and pain because he feels ours. We hold our breath from Good Friday to Easter morning because we also live in the paradox of death and new life.
We are in God's story of love and redemption for the whole world.
That 5th grader and her classmates remind me that our journey of faith is not done. We are always learning and growing together. As God's story continues, so does ours in it....forever and ever.
Amen
~ Pam
