September 2005 - Tower - Page 3

Christian Education Sunday - "Making Disciples of Jesus Christ: Opening to God"

ceb&w.gif First Church will celebrate Christian Education Sunday on September 25. The theme this year is Making Disciples of Jesus Christ: Opening to God. This theme is highlighted in the following quotes from the article, "Learning the Practice of God's Presence," written by Diana L. Hynson of the General Board of Discipleship.

"How do I know God is with me? How do I recognize God's voice and guidance when I pray? How do I see the presence of God in every day life? Good questions simply claiming the mantle of Christ does not automatically confer the insight to answer these questions. Rather, they come as the result of deliberate, mindful openness to the leading of God and the practice of spiritual disciplines that help acquaint us with God.

"...God moves in both obvious and mysterious ways that are sometimes abundantly clear and at others painfully obscure. What we can say is that God is always at work in our lives and wishes to be known by us. We just have to watch for it. But how and where?"

Dr. Hynson lists both formal (organized classes and small groups) and informal (conversations with class participants or parents, spontaneous moments of prayer or interaction) settings as places where God's presence is experienced. She also invites us to "consider these opportunities:

•The lesson material. Are prayers or other devotional tools included in the session plan? Does the content touch on some experience within a class or group member that calls forth prayer?
•The teachable moment. Something happens (probably unexpected) that calls you to suspend the lesson briefly and do some deep listening, praying, or guiding for one or more persons in the group.
•The life of the leader. Ideally, the group leader is ready to focus on the needs and issues of the group, but that is not always possible. Modeling the need of prayer, or more study, or for discernment frees up other persons to ask for what they need as well.
•The life of the church. Is something happening in the life of the congregation that resonates with the session material or that supersedes it for all or part of a group session? Is there an opportunity for Christian conversation about a congregational concern that will bring God's clarity for the congregation?
•The issues of the nation or community. When something particularly joyous or painful happens, we need to take time for celebration or grieving and processing. Especially in the wake of national tragedies, such as the September 11 attack, there is great need to discern, with God's help, how to make meaning or how to see a way when there appears to be no way. Helping group members think theologically about the events in their lives is a tremendous gift."

She concludes by saying, "God's movement is constant and available, and by attention, desire, and practice, we become more proficient at both seeing the opportunities and benefitting from them. The key is to look and listen."

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If you have any comments on any of these pages, please email me: Robert W.(Bob) Mckitrick, thanks.

Last update:September 7, 2005