Lessons Learned in Sunday School

By Ed and Lynne Turner

Children are a gift from the Lord, they are a reward from him. 

- Psalm 127:3

Worship is very important to our family. We look forward to Sunday and finding our place in church. A very important part of our worship is Children’s Sunday School. For years we have taught Sunday School for little ones as young as four and as old as high school seniors. The lessons we have learned with our younger friends are invaluable and never ending.

Today’s youth are bombarded with so many distractions, but at every age, they deeply desire to have others listen to their hopes and dreams, as well as help them answer questions. God has blessed us with the willingness to work with young people and the patience to help them as they grow. We try to teach them and guide them down the right path and keep them interested in learning about our Lord. But the result is they teach us.

Our love is to have Sunday school in person, but as we went through the stages of the pandemic, we used Zoom for Kidurgy and later helped with the tent service with Mother Katie. When you have experienced a Zoom Kidurgy service with 4, 5,and 6 year-olds, you have seen God at work, plus his sense of humor in action (the mute button became very important).

We see God’s love shining brightly in children’s faces, words and actions. Our rewards are abundant. When we see the wonder on the face of a little one as they hear for the first time the story of Baby Moses, Noah and his big boat, Jonah and the big fish, we see God. We also have no idea what questions will come from the mouths of these young people. Imagine discussions around feeding the five thousand people with 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish, loading over 35,000 creatures on the Ark, the parable of the camel being able to pass through the eye of a needle. Children are so intelligent and think about what you say and want to know more. It is challenging, but often we come away with new insight and understandings of the scripture. God truly speaks to us through the mouths of the children. No matter how many times we have heard or read the scriptures, we come away with a deeper understanding of God’s love because of our contacts with these young people. Our encounters with the Divine come as we spend time teaching, listening and learning with the children of Christ Church.

 Almighty God, heavenly Father, who hast blessed us with the joy and care of children; Give us light and strength so to train them, that they may love whatsoever things are true and pure and lovely and of good report, following the example of their Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

The Book of Common Prayer, 1928