Embracing Sunday School
Proper 19 – 2011 – Year A – Trinity 12
Start of Sunday School Year
Today we are starting another Sunday School year. We are commissioning our new Sunday School team and saying thank you to those who have led our Sunday School last year.
We are all indebted to those who offer themselves as teachers in our Sunday School and today as a Parish we are attempting to give expression to that. In a few minutes, we will be commissioning our new Sunday School teachers and in the course of that, we as a Parish will be pledging our support in all that you are going to be doing with our young people this year. We are promising our prayers, we are promising our practical support, and our encouragement – let us make sure that we all do our part in doing this.
Of course, Sunday School does not happen without the children. At Baptism, your Mums and Dads promised to encourage you to take your place in the life and worship of the Church. Sunday School is one step along that way. The Sunday School teachers have been working to put together a program for the coming year.
What will you learn? You will be learning what we learn here in Church – what it means to be a follower of Jesus Christ, what it means to be a member of the Church. One of those lessons is what we learned today in our reading, the importance of forgiving one another, of not holding grudges. We follow a God who has shown us what love is, what forgiveness is in the life of his son Jesus Christ. He asks us to show something of that same love and forgiveness in the world of today, in our homes, in our schools. The Bible readings you hear in Sunday School will be the same as the Bible readings we will be hearing in Church. This year you will be in Sunday School for two Sundays of the month – on the other Sundays you will be joining us here in Church. One Sunday for the Family Service – as the year goes by you will be helping more and more with that with music and prayers and dramas. You will be coming in for one other service. We are making some changes to one of our other services to make it easier for you to follow – there will be a special service book available and we will have activity sheets in the pews - but I am going to ask you to be just a bit quieter and stay in your seats for that one.
There is something else you will be learning from your Sunday School teachers – they are giving you a wonderful example in just being with you in Sunday School. In the time they are giving and in the way they are sharing their faith with you. I would ask you all to play your part in making our time together on Sunday – whether it is here in the Church or out in the Sunday School – a lovely time for everyone.