A Pastoral Concern -- Sunday School & Adult Bible Class attendance

FOOD FOR THOUGHT re: Sunday School & Adult Bible Class

Our Sunday School and Adult Bible Class go on hiatus during the Sundays in summer.  Our classes will resume again on Sunday, September 13 at 8:45 AM.

Yes, that time is 8:45 AM.  And yes, that sounds early for a Sunday morning.

Please reconsider your excuse.  Please.

What time are you required to show up for work throughout the week?  Do you tell your boss that it is just too early and that you will show up when it is more convenient?  You wouldn't dare.  What time are your children required to get up for school Monday through Friday?  Do you tell their teachers that you can't get them there until, say, 10:00 AM because that is the best you can do?  I doubt it.  Somehow, someway, we meet the appointed time because it is expected of us.  We may not be crazy about getting up as early as we do, but we do it anyway.  And we usually do it with limited complaint because work and school are important.  We recognize that, so we do what we have to in order to meet our obligations.

Granted, Sunday School and Adult Bible Class do not bring home a paycheck.  They will not give you a diploma or an advanced degree.  They are designed to increase your knowledge and understanding of the Scriptures, to make you more mature in the faith, more confident of your confession in a world that attacks it, and better equipped to give an answer for the hope that you have.  It also teaches your children that the Christian faith matters.  It matters because they are here for Sunday School.  It matters for you because you make it a point to come to Bible Class while they are in Sunday School.  It matters so that your whole family will remain strong and even grow in the Christian faith.  Okay, that's no paycheck, but you can't say that it has no dividends.

If you want your children to be faithful to Jesus and to remain members in a confessional Lutheran Church, it is up to you to set the example.  That might mean getting to bed earlier on a Saturday night so that getting up on Sunday morning is not such a chore.  That might mean making a concerted effort for Sunday School and Adult Bible Class to be a part of your routine.  It means telling your children that this is what we do now and biting back any comments that suggest you would rather not be getting up that early either.  And it means reminding yourself that Sunday School & Adult Bible Class are worth every minute of your family's time—because they are.  Even as early as 8:45 AM.  We resume on Sunday, September 13.