From the Pastor

“Sunday School” is for Moms and Dads Too

As I write this article for our September newsletter, activities and plans for the fall at RLC are gearing up. Of course, that includes Wednesday Night Workshop dinners (new branding: “S & S” [Supper & Scripture]). Of course, that includes music ensemble rehearsals. Of course, that includes children’s activities and youth group gatherings and adult small groups. This month it also includes a Mission Festival as we welcome RLC missionaries Megan and Mark Mantey back to RLC from Nairobi, Kenya! But it also includes “Sunday School.” I don’t know what kind of image you conjure up as you hear and think about “Sunday School.”

For me, the go-to picture is limited too often to the youngest members of the RLC community gathering to learn about Jesus in a loving and fun environment. While Sunday School certainly SHOULD include that familiar image… it is so much more! Sunday School is for Moms and Dads (and grandfathers and grandmothers and neighbors and friends and individuals and [fill in the blank]) too. Sunday School is for everyone.

You’ll find a handful of Bible verses about the need for children to be instructed in God’s Word: Moses says, “These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up” (Deut. 6:6-7). St. Paul writes, “Fathers, do not anger your children, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord” (Eph 6:4). Many, many, many more speak about the need for “big kids” to meditate and learn the Word of God themselves. And did you notice something about the verses quoted above? Even Scripture passages encouraging teaching the youngest among us God’s will and God’s promises simultaneously emphasize PARENTS doing the job! That doesn’t mean that church can’t or shouldn’t do all it can to support the efforts of parents who want to raise their children as God intends. It DOES mean that Moms and Dads need to be in “Sunday School” themselves. Like it or not, they are on the front lines of life… they are on the scene whenever their children experience the highs and lows of life that God’s Word speaks to and where God’s Word and God’s forgiveness are lived out. That is just as God intended it to be.

Of course, you don’t have to be a parent to benefit. This year I challenge all our adults at RLC to not only enroll children or grandchildren in Sunday School—or look on as others do—but to find a personal or group “Sunday School” opportunity that fits their lifestyle. Information on opportunities have been distributed and are available here. Check this newsletter for more info. It’s a way for YOU to grow more and more as the learner of God’s Word God intended you to be. It’s a fun challenge. You’ll meet others like yourself. And, as a result, you might just someday find yourself benefiting another person with God’s Word in a way you never imagined you would.

See you in Sunday School!

Peace and joy in Christ,
Pastor Jonathan