sunday school.....Gods plan A?
I wrote this a few months ago...and it’s been sitting in my drafts, hopefully it will be followed up with another one soon :)
The other day I was in a conversation which basically outlined the difficulties our children face within the home. As the conversation went on, I became more and more emotional thinking about it all, thinking about our children all over the world who may face difficulties in this area.
AS I thought, I realised that since arriving here, the one thing which we have heard time and time again is ‘How is the ministry with Sunday schools? How is the training going with the Sunday school teachers?’ indeed when I first arrived, THIS was the area everyone wanted us to work within. I don’t think it is so different in the UK! If children’s faith is not so strong, we look to see what they are receiving from church, that must be where the ‘weakness’ lies.
We recently ran a parenting workshop here. It was received SO well, and the stories we heard were eye opening. The participants were the keenest I think I have seen, and even yesterday I went to visit a church and there was one of the participants sitting outside with one of the books that we had translated on the subject. Very encouraging.
As I thought more though, I allowed my real feelings to take over. I have actually never really liked Sunday school, or the many varying names which is it called. I do not believe it was the Lords intention, although I think He is gracious and has and does move powerfully through it, touching many lives.
Sunday school was set up through a man who had GREAT vision. I used to be very negative about Robert Raikes and say ‘look what he has left us with now – a terrible model’ until a friend used him for a research project – and my eyes were opened to this man of faith and his desire to change what was a terrible situation for children. The children working 6 days a week and receiving no education. THIS is what Sunday school was originally for, yes there was I believe vision for children coming to know Jesus too – but it was mainly a education effort. The results were remarkable though, I remember being told in one city the children arriving holding hands in pairs for early morning prayers at the cathedral, and the adults not knowing what to do with them!
Over the years though, the emphasis has changed. I assume as the law in the UK gradually changed, all children were, by law required to attend school – so I guess Sunday school as it was was no longer needed – but it would seem someone had a bright idea! Why not keep the children out of the main service so the adults can worship in peace! And now, in some churches, especially in larger evangelical ones, the children and the adults are never together in worship. And THAT I find sad. I believe that BOTH children and adults miss out on something special. Yes, it might be good to have some separate teaching, and I understand that many people struggle to teach in an all age way (it is not easy I know) but there are places in the OT which say that children are to be called to teaching along with the adults! I ALWAYS maintain that if adults come with an open heart, anything which is planned so our children can understand and get something meaningful out of the teaching, so can the adults. It’s the ones who come thinking ‘this is for the kids, there’s nothing for me’ who will miss out. I will always remember an father in my church coming up to me after a rather messy alternative style of worship, gently kissing my cheek and thanking me for the teaching – he had never seen it in that way before – and this guy had a PhD in Theology!!! Talk about a humble guy! I thought if he can learn something, so can we all!
I was asked recently to preach at a church here. I felt led to preach on ‘what if’! We looked at the worlds view of status, and how children are low on that, and Gods topsy turvy Kingdom, things being the wrong way up to what we think. What if David had not been allowed to face – and defeat – Goliath when all the adults were too scared to do so? What if Naamans servant girl had not been allowed to share her thoughts, would Naaman have found healing? What if the disciples had ignored the boy with his packed lunch in the feeding of the 5,000...We will never, know, but the chances are the Israelites would have returned to slavery, and Naaman may have never found healing – or indeed faith and maybe there would have been 5000+ hungry folk!
I didn’t then preach this, but I have been thinking since, are there times when we do not allow the children to do what the Lord has called them to do – and are there then consequences? I think there might be....and I think that I will share more in a future post!
