2014-2015 Sunday School Schedule

Here is my proposed list of Sunday School Classes for the 2014-2015 Church Year:

Just finished working on my 2014-2015 Connections Sunday school class schedule. I teach a class each Sunday before worship...:) Here's the schedule:

Aug 24 – Sept 28, 2014
6 studies: In the Beginning

A look at the first nine chapters of Genesis, which give us foundational elements, stories and initial events about our faith.

Aug 24 Chapters 01-02 – Creation
Aug 31 Chapter 03 – Sin and Separation
Sep 07 Chapter 04 – The Curse of Cain
Sep 14 Chapter 05-06 – Along Came Noah
Sep 21 Chapter 07-08 – The Flood
Sep 28 Chapter 09 – A New Covenant


Oct 05 – Oct 26, 2014
4 week series:     Julian of Norwich: Revelations of Divine Love

A look at the mystical writings of Julian of Norwich whose prayer book was the first to be printed and published by an Englishwoman. CS Lewis called the book ‘one of the most dangerous Christian books in existence,’ because it completely changes the lives of those who read it.

Oct 05 Biography and Revelation 1
Oct 12 Revelation (TBD)
Oct 19 Revelation (TBD)
Oct 26 Revelation (TBD)

Nov 02 – Nov 23, 2014
4 Week series Faith of Our Presidents

Continuing the pastor’s annual Presidential series which looks at the lives and faith of past US Presidents.

Nov 02 Franklin D. Roosevelt
Nov 09 Harry S. Truman
Nov 16 Dwight D. Eisenhower
Nov 23 John F. Kennedy


Nov 30 – Dec 21, 2013
4 week Advent series – The Prophecies

A four week journey in Advent based upon the Old Testament prophetic readings for each Sunday.

Nov 30 Isaiah 64:1-9    We Are The Clay
Dec 07 Isaiah 40:1-11     Looking for Comfort
Dec 14 Isaiah 61:1-11     The Lord’s Favor
Dec 21 2 Samuel 7:1-17    God’s Promise


Jan 04 – Jan 25, 2015
4 week series – All the King’s Men

Who were the disciples and what happened to them after Jesus rose from the dead? A look at four of Christ’s main followers.

Jan 04 Andrew – The First Evangelist
Jan 11 James – Destined for Death
Jan 18 John – The Beloved Disciple
Jan 25 Thomas – The Doubter

Feb 01 – Feb 15, 2015
Titus – What is Church?

A 3 week discussion about Paul’s letter to Titus and his advice about how churches should operate, as well as how Christians should behave.

Feb 01 Chapter 01
Feb 08 Chapter 02
Feb 15 Chapter 03


Feb 22 – Mar 29, 2015
6 week Lent series – Letters for Lent

A special 6 week study of the Sunday Lectionary New Testament Epistles chosen for the Season of Lent.

Feb 22 1 Peter 3:18-22
Mar 01 Romans 4:13-25
Mar 08 1 Corinthians 1:18-25
Mar 15 Ephesians 2:1-10
Mar 22 Hebrews 5:5-10
Mar 29 Philippians 2:5-11

April 05 Easter – no class

April 12 – May 17, 2015
6 week series – Calvin’s Institutes

A short series about Jean Calvin’s greatest work: The Institutes of The Christian Religion. Excerpts will provide topics for discussion.

April 12 What are the Institutes?
April 19 The Knowledge of God the Creator
April 26 The Knowledge of God the Redeemer
May 3 The Grace of Christ
May 10 The True Church
May 17 Institutes for the 21st Century

The Connections Class was established by the pastor years ago as an inter-generational group of church members and visitors. The pastor presents the class with the theme, background, and context, enabling the group to freely share their ideas, questions, experiences, and beliefs. It’s a fun class to be in, but it’s also a great learning vehicle for everyone who wants to grow in faith, biblical knowledge, and be with a group of people who are very supportive and always friendly.

Confirmation Lesson 8: Law and Grace

The Ten Commandments were the ten basic laws by which the Hebrew people of Moses’ time maintained their community during their forty years of wandering in the wilderness. Because they had become a nomadic people, they needed a common structure to hold them together for survival. These ten laws were given to Moses by God which meant that they were not just civil laws that the people made up; they were special laws required to be kept by the nomadic Hebrews to honor God first and maintain the community second.

            When the Hebrew people became their own Jewish nation, they kept these original laws in order to remain holy and pure. However, being human they were not perfect, so every person broke different laws at different times. By breaking these laws, the people became separated from God, as well as placed under His judgment. In Old Testament times, breaking God’s laws brought severe punishment from God and/or the community upon the lawbreaker, commonly known as a sinner.

            In order to please God and heal the broken relationships between the sinner and the community, different kinds of sacrifices and restitution had to be made. Sometimes the sinner sacrificed an animal and paid back money to the person who had been wronged. In serious cases (blasphemy, murder, and adultery) capital punishment was applied.

            In New Testament times, God’s grace was displayed through the sacrifice of Jesus. His death was offered as the complete means of restoring sinners to God. This meant that actual sacrifices were no longer required. It also meant that sinners could be repent of their past offences and pray for Christ to forgive them. This is how we as Presbyterians deal with our sins today. We sincerely confess our mistakes to Christ and He immediately forgives us. This is also why one of the first prayers that we express to God in church on Sundays is a confessional prayer. Every week, every day, every time we sincerely pray, we can begin our lives again because our sins are totally forgiven through Christ and God’s grace.

Please read over the following scriptures and use the questions below them for a discussion with your parent(s).

Exodus 20:1-17

1And God spoke all these words:

2"I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.

3"You shall have no other gods before me.

4"You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below.

5-6You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.

7"You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.

8"Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.

9Six days you shall labor and do all your work,10but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates.11For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

12"Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you.

13"You shall not murder.

14"You shall not commit adultery.

15"You shall not steal.

16"You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.

17"You shall not covet your neighbor's house. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor."

Questions

Why did God absolutely require His people to worship Him only?

What was the purpose of commanding a Sabbath as a day of rest?

Why should people honor their parents?

Which of the commands do you think people break frequently?

If God had offered an eleventh command for us today, what do you think it should be?

(e.g. You shall not let people go hungry)

Ephesians 2:8-10

8For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--

9not by works, so that no one can boast.10For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Why do you think God offered His Son as the way of receiving His grace? How does being forgiven help us to do good works for God?

Colossians 3:16-17

16Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.17And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Why are Christ’s words so important for us to learn? How does His teaching affect and influence our choices? How can we do things in His name that honor Him? Why should we give thanks to God for Jesus?

Any other questions that you have?

For more information about the Ten Commandments, the following link is a good resource:

http://christianity.about.com/od/biblestorysummaries/qt/tencommandpara.htm