Hi parents! I hope and pray that you’ve known the Lord’s sustaining grace through the craziness of September, which is almost over!
The children’s ministry team have been so encouraged by our time in the New City Catechism with the kids over the summer. I’ve definitely seen them grow not only in knowledge of God, but faith and wonder at how great He is.
To kick off City Kids for the new academic year, in the last couple of weeks we have taught through God’s attributes – who God is, all of the time. Some attributes are only true of God – only God is eternal, all-powerful, unchanging – and we are not, so we rely on Him. Some attributes are most true of God – God is most holy, most loving, most just – and in these we can reflect Him as His image-bearers.
Now I’m excited to share where we’re going next! This Sunday we’re beginning to journey through the Old Testament, using The Biggest Story curriculum.
We want your children to learn that the Bible isn’t a random group of disconnected stories, but one big story about our great God and His great rescue plan through Jesus, the promised, rescuing-King. The Bible is not primarily about us and what we should do; it’s about God and what He has done for us in Christ. We respond to Him in faith.
In Sunday school, I remember being taught Bible stories like they were moral lessons: “be good like Noah”, “be brave like David”. But of course I later found out that these Bible heroes are all deeply flawed, and we are all just as sinful too! They were longing for and trusting in a better hero. Right after Adam and Eve sinned, God promised that a snake-crusher would come from Eve’s family to defeat sin and death, undoing the ruin of the fall (Genesis 3:15). That hero is Jesus!
We don’t have to wait for Jesus’ birth in the New Testament to hear the good news, because he’s promised and pointed to all over the Old! So as we adventure through the Bible and uncover lots of shadows of and pointers to Jesus, my prayer is that the City Kids would long for and trust in him more and more too.
Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.
Luke 24:26-27
The Biggest Story curriculum is also great because there are some family-discipleship resources to help you at home. Each week we’ll share a short children’s podcast that you could listen to on the way to school, or you could watch the Bible story video after dinnertime. You could also purchase the storybook to read before bed. As usual, we’ll send home activity/colouring sheets, and share a few take-home questions to chat about over Sunday lunch.
It is such a joy to play a little part in teaching your kids about Jesus. Keep raising them in the gospel!
