Sunday School is the crossroads of stories. It is the story of God’s movement in the history of mankind. It is the stories of thousands of named and unnamed men, women, and children shared on the pages of the Old and New Testaments. We learn much about God and people from those stories.
Sunday School is also the story of the people attending the Sunday School classes. It is the history of their lives and interactions with each other, the world, and God. The story is ever changing, like the ocean, with ebbs and flows of relationships. Stories from the past come charging into the present, and new relationships and stories are added, created, and merged.
Crossroads of Stories
In Sunday School, our stories meet at a crossroads. But for the work of God, there would have been no crossroads of that collection of people gathering to open the Bible together. Then when the gathered people open God’s Word, they meet and hear from the Author. His voice and truth speak to them and guide them as they live changed lives between those gatherings.
Those stories call for fresh daily interactions with each other and with Him. The desire is not just to read a history book but to read a love letter. The desire is not just to keep the letter to ourselves; instead, it the desire is to share the love letter with others. Conversations and even more stories result as prayer, Bible study, obedience, and relationships are lived out.
Testimonies
Sunday School classes have opportunities to share many stories. Three of those stories are testimonies:
- Sunday School testimonies. These testimonies are stories of the impact of Sunday School. They are how God has been at work through the class. They can be stories of growth, relationships, projects, and more.
- God’s work testimonies. These can be stories of how God has worked as a result of a lesson. They can be stories of answers to prayers. They can be stories of changed lives.
- Salvation testimonies. Salvation testimonies are usually your own story of what your life was like before meeting Christ, how you met Christ, and what life is like since meeting Christ.
Some of these stories will come out in the midst of the lesson or of prayer requests. Some will happen before or after class in conversation. And some will be requested to be shared as part of an announcement or the lesson.
Two weeks ago, the class I attend asked for volunteers to share their salvation testimonies (after assigning us homework to write our testimonies the previous week). Two volunteers shared great testimonies. And the class added to at least three other stories along with the story from the gospel of John to form a great lesson.
Stories are powerful. God’s story has the power to change lives. Make time for stories. Ask for stories. Make disciples. Be revolutionary!
Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash
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