Parenting Headings & Jottings (1)

What would you include?

Introduction

Please check back in 30 years and we hope to have something useful to say here!

In the meantime, read the Bible and Doug Wilson and pray.

You only get one chance at parenting. They grow up fast and you can't have your time over.
You are going to fail. Work hard, pray and relax, lighten up, trust God.
God's grace is sufficient.
There are no perfect parents or children but there is a better way.
Parents are responsible but we don't try to earn or merit God's favour. We believe his promises and depend on his mercy. God uses our weak efforts. When we know our weakness we depend on him and give him the glory for anything he graciously does through us.
Tastes, cultures, needs, gifts and opportunities etc. will differ - that's good.
The manifold wisdom of God - not clones.
Not my way right or wrong / may way is the only way.
Not a slavish copying of any one approach let alone "rules".

The supreme authority of Scripture.
"in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, charity"

the helpfulness of others and of examples and the harmfulness of some comparisons.
Praise God if the Joneses are great parents - and know that no doubt they have their struggles too.
Don't be too hard on them or on yourselves.

God's law and house rules - distinguish clearly.
It's good and necessary to have house rules.
Keep your rules few, simple, clear and good - big principles that get you big wins.
Choose your battles - e.g. work on potty training not nuclear physics with the 2 year old.
Your home should not feel like a Concentration Camp!

The gospel (repeat, remember, model, rejoice)!

The Christian Life:
Repentance and faith, forgiveness and a fresh start
The greatest commandment - the weightier matters of the law
The Golden Rule
The fruit of the Spirit is the fruit of the Spirit - not our work
The Creation Mandate - rule and fill the earth
The Great Commission - disciples the nations
The New Creation
All of life under the rule of Christ - it all matters.

The goal of parenting
Maturity
Able to play their part in a new household
Increasing freedom not clamping down on teenage rebellion!
Aim for "independence"
Start now
Now is better than never

The atmosphere of the Christian home - love, joy, delight, fun, happiness, laughter, togetherness, purpose, mutual care, consideration, sympathy, help
Check this regularly - what is the feel / temperature of your home

Family culture, traditions, memories- these bond the family together - "Do you remember when Uncle Joe..."

Quality Time ? Spend lots of time together - talk!

Read the Bible and good books together

The Trinity - the divine family - a happy loving ordered fellowship

Roles in the Godhead and the home - mutual submission, united purpose
The one and the many - individuality and conformity

Men, women and children
Boys and girls - differences

Expectations - high but not impossible - lower the standard so you get some wins! Progress not perfection
No good making speedy progress in the wrong direction!

Expect the kids to do as they're told quickly and happily. Delayed or sruly obedince are forms of disobedience.
The kids sometimes need a moment for what they are being asked to do to sink in and for them to decide to do it.
Count downs to obedience can be effective but they're not the greatest. We'd like them to do as they're told promptly rather than when we get to "5".
Avoid endless warnings and repetitions of instructions. Sound like you mean it first time.

Kids should be encouraged to see that life is better, happier and easier if they do as they're told happily and quickly.
Being naughty doesn't work - it just makes them more miserable.
Instructions should be obviously for their good whenever possible.
(Of course, if you've got 4 kids you'll need to get your kids to do things to make life possible! An instruction for mummy's conveniece isn't wicked as a happy mummy is essential to a happy home)
An explanation of why you're asking the kids to do something can help them but sometimes "because I said so" is called for. The kids need to understand that God has put mum and dad in charge for their good.
If you've told the kids to do something, you're not looking to have a debate!

Discipline - training not punishment
Be calm!
Discipline is for the child's sake not yours!
Never discipline for the sake of appearance
Don't give in - unless you are wrong!
Do what you can not what you can't

You cannot make windows into your children's souls
Discipline what you can see
Go for the heart
The aim is for the children to love the standard (and the God of the standrd!) not outward conformity for a while

Righteous anger - just because you are angry does not mean you are righteous!

"The Rod" - good that its over quickly!
say sorry, ask God's forgiveness, make friends again, hug / kiss etc, move on happily
Be consistent and persistent
Be clear about when you will smack - e.g. for direct, clear disobedience
Not public humiliation!
Reasonable, proportioante, calm
(count to 10 if need be)
The UK law on smacking and the law of God

Loss of privileges
"Bribery"?
The importance of learning delayed gratification

Do not discipline for weakness or immaturity or honest mistakes - don't smack the child for knocking his water over unless he was messing about
Hunger, tiredness etc are mitigating factors not excuses
Do not lead your children into temptation - they need to eat and sleep regularly
It's not fair to wind 'em up and fill them with sugar and e-numbers late at night then discipline them when they act up

Routine - a help not bondage
Toddler years:
7am get up and breakfast and family devotions - thanks, prayer for the day ahead, a prayer for others / world, Lord's Prayer, song
12pm lunch
5:15pm supper
6:15pm Bible story time
Thank you prayer
Good night prayer
7pm bedtime

Mum and Dad will want to pray together regularly for the children and one another and for other things that are not appropriate to discuss in front of the kids.

Even if some evangelicals have over-done the idea of the personal "Quiet Time" it would be a great habit for everyone to read the Bible and pray on their own regualrly. It is especially important as teenagers move towards leaving home that they should have habits and motivations that will help them to keep going as Christians e.g. if they find themselves living alone or with unbelievers.

Going to bed and getting up

Mealtimes
Manners, courtesy
Saying Grace - probably best if Dad normally says grace but fun if others do sometimes too, sung graces, some people like to hold hands.

TV - ration? good TV

When will the kids have treats? We have a treat from the shop on a Saturday is easier than "can we have some sweets?" every time a shop is spied!

Music and song (fun, aids memorisation) - good shared activity

Liturgy - learn what you use at church at home - keep it simple & fun - enthusiastic joining in
Confession of sin
Acclamation of praise
The Lord's Prayer
Apostles' Creed
10 Commandments
Memorisation of Scripture

Church family and public worship - we include our children as much as possible
We treat the children like little Christians not like little pagans. We all need to repent and believe the gospel everyday but we treat our kids as insiders to be discipled not as outsiders to be converted from a life of Godlessness.
We expect our kids to have infant faith.
We want them to grow up never knowing a day when they haven't loved Jesus.

Baptism - identity, belonging

The Lord's Supper - it is very harmful to exclude kids from the Lord's Table. "Daddy, why was I excommunicated?" - it teaches them they don't belong and need a crisis of faith to bring them in. We welcome them as full members of the body of Christ on the basis of their parent's faith and their baptism. They have rights, privileges and responsibilities as members of the body of Christ.

The Sabbath
Make it the best day of the week! A delight - positive not negative
The Sabbath feast - Saturday evening?

Christian Education

Pocket money, the tithe, saving, the love of money, generosity
Earning extra money

Work ethic but not works righteousness
Jobs - helping Daddy with the bins

Further Reading

Wilson
Alpha
Parsons
Tripp

Bibles suitable for children

I am taking a weekly primary school assembly. I've used both the Good News Bible and the New International Version there. Some friends were suggesting easier English / Child-friendly versions and I wanted to preserve this alphabet soup Note To Self for further digestion:

CEV
New Century Version / Inernational Children's Bible
NLT
NET Bible - " may be the best combination of readability and accuracy in English today"

Should we exile the kids?

I thought David Gibbs made some excellent points in his 'Unity in the gathering or 'adult only' church?' where he made the case for keeping children in church meetings instead of sending them out for children's Sunday school. Good on The Briefing for publishing it (Jan - Feb 2010, Issue 376/7, pp30-32).

You'd have to have guts to abolish the Sunday school and it'd be hard to keep your own kids in if everyone elses' were going out, but I think his biblical and theological arguments are persuasive.

In his church, only under 3s can go out for the sermon.

It's interesting to note that Sunday school during the morning service only goes back to the 50s and 60s.

Grove Chapel

I had the pleasure of meeting someone from Grove Chapel today and I was very impressed. Their website is well worth checking out. Read their article on public worship. Apparently, if I have understood correctly, the vast majority of the children of the church from about 3 upwards remain in church the whole time, and attend to the sermon in varying degrees, completing specially prepared activity sheets.

Off to check out Revd Mark Johnston's books on Amazon.

Lovewise

Lovewise was recommended at the Sussex Gospel Partnership today. They provide resources and give presentations for schools (and churches) to encourage young people to keep sex for marriage. It looks like excellent stuff.

Little Ones In Church

Thanks to Mrs Lloyd for directing me to Mrs Wilson's blog post on little ones in church.

http://femina.reformedblogs.com/2008/07/24/little-ones-in-church/#more-418

I would love to see all our children with us in church for the whole service and admitted to the Lord's Table, but I think we might be a generation away from that as a congregation. Who knows. How would you move a church in that direction? Do you have experience of doing it in a church where others don't? It would be great if we could manage it with our little Jono. I don't really want to see him exiled or excommunicated.

Mrs Wilson's post should also be read in conjunction with Pastor Wilson's post on children in worship, which as I remember argues something like that whilst it is not a sin for the church to gather without the children and there are times when age specific teaching / addressing male heads of households / those who can understand etc. might be appropriate, as a norm the kids should we welcomed and included.

The Sunday School movement in the UK is a fairly recent invention and rather a mixed blessing in my view.

Mrs Wilson's post also shows the value of large families and long term settled ministries it seems to me. If, say, by the grace of God we had 4 kids who each had 4 kids, and the grandchildren and parents came to church, we would have a pretty sizable congregation. And if we had 4 other families like that in our church...

Incarnational Ministry

Could you just remind me what incarnational ministry means and whether or not we believe in it?

In a way incarnational ministry sounds a bit like motherhood and apple pie (who could be against that?) but I think some are agin it, maybe even in a big way?

To my mind "incarnational ministry" suggests two things:

(1) becoming like the people to whom we aim to minister, just as Christ became like us to serve us. As Paul was all things to all men, so should we be, that we might win some.

(2) in a way we are a continuation of the incarnation - we are Christ to people as Jesus lives in us and they see his light in us.

I know some people are nervous about both (1) and (2).

I seem to remember hearing some criticisms at vicar factory of incarnational ministry as advocated by the likes of Pete Ward in relational youth ministry?

Obviously we become like those to whom we minister in some ways but must also remain distinctive. I do not become a prostitute to win the prostitutes. And I also minister to people as they are in the hope that we will both not remain as we are but be transformed into the likeness of Christ. The Christian missionary must not go native in this wicked world.

As far as (2) goes, I can see no problem with viewing the church as in some ways a continuation of the incarnation as long as we remember that Christ is still incarnate in heaven and we are not Jesus in the same way that Jesus is! We are however his body, and he remains the head. Christ and his church are the totus christus, or some equally clever but difficult to remember, spell and understand latin term!

Jesus Our Castle

The youth group are having an indoor bouncy castle tonight. The text for the talk: "he [God] is my fortress" (Psalm 62:2).

(1) God is a "fortress" for his people (vv6-7) - a place of security and safety, defence, refuge (vv7,8), a (mighty) rock (vv2, 7) - strong, stable, "never be shaken" (vv2, 6) "salvation" (vv1-2), rest (v1) - ultimate salvation, eternal rest

(2) God "alone" is a dependable fortress (v2, v5, v6) - no one and nothing else can give us ultimate satisfaction / "rest" (v1, 5) - always dissatisfied till we find our satisfaction in God - people are weak and will die and sometimes let us down (v9) - riches cannot satisfy or save and are unreliable (v10) - God's strength and love and justice are the certainties in life (vv11-12)

(3) "So trust in God at all times;" (v8)

"pour out your heart to him" (v8) - you can bring any problem or situation to God. He understands and can cope with anything.

Free Images for my sermons

Does anyone have any tips for good places to find free images on-line for use in talks?

I’m particularly interested in some gold, frankincense (or even just plain incense, whatever the difference is) and myrrh, if anyone can tell me how I can lay my hands on them in the next few days.

Though it may be better simply not to bother with the old power-point, I guess. I could always start decorating old cereal packets or something. The joy of giving all-age talks!

I’ve had a look at a few of the sites listed on the Wikipedia Public Domain Image Resources page, but I imagine this would be a great way to waste lots of time.

Get 'em when they're born

Visiting Mrs Lloyd and our firstborn in hospital this morning, it was a bit like being on a beech in Tenerife as people came and touted their wares at us. Would we like to have his photo taken there and then? Someone else would make a framed cast of the boy’s hand and foot print, for a hefty fee. We were also given a Bounty Bag of Newborn “Essentials” (!). No Bounty bars, unfortunately, but I was surprised that there was an official form for registering for Child Benefit amongst all the glossy junk mail.

The pack also contained a flyer for naming ceremonies with www.civilceremonies.co.uk who will do you all manner of ceremonies in venues of your choice or flog you a script and let you get on with a DIY option. They could even train you to do ceremonies too!

If there really is a market for such things, I wonder if the church isn’t missing a trick here? Maybe we should be promoting Thanksgiving and Naming Ceremonies to new parents? Maybe the C of E could cut a deal to get its bumph in the Bounty Bag or local arrangements could be made with hospitals?

Someone also told me that when you go to register a death in Eastbourne there’s a poster up advertising funeral ceremonies.

I wonder how many people opt for these new fangled civil ceremonies with their practical atheism or pick n mix spirituality and how much of a loss they really are in terms of evangelistic opportunities.

Romsey 1 Pathfinder Camp 2008

Our CPAS camp for 11-14s based at Hampshire Collegiate School in Romsey is planned for Saturday 2nd - 9th August 2008.

It should be fantastic fun and a great opportunity to learn about Jesus. Bookings open in the new year.

There may be space for a few new leaders. Its a brilliant way to serve and grow.

Holiday Club

We're planning a Holiday Club for Primary School Age Children (5-11 year olds) in the Easter / Spring holidays from Tuesday 15th April - Friday 18th April 2008, 9:30am -12pm. There'll be a families event on Saturday 19th April and a special holiday club service on Sunday 20th at 10:30am.

Please pray for the club and for the core team. Volunteers welcome!

Job Opportunity

Please tell all your friends about...

An exciting opportunity for an

ASSOCIATE MINISTER

or

CHILDREN’S, YOUTH and / or FAMILIES WORKER

at Holy Trinity, Eastbourne.

We are a large Conservative Evangelical Anglican church

with a strategic town centre seaside location.

We are seeking a gifted and proven Bible Teacher

to lead and develop our work with young people / families.

Attractive accommodation and salary package

(depending on experience)

For more information, please contact Rev’d Marc Lloyd

marc_lloyd@hotmail.com 07812 054820

I'm delighted that the PCC agreed yesterday that we should place an advert along these lines in Evangelicals Now, The Church of England Newspaper and The Briefing and so on and go ahead and appoint a suitable candidate.

We would be interested in hearing from anyone who might be able to help us or who could lead this work. The post may suit an ordained person seeking a second curacy or someone with pastoral experience. But people in training or helping out in their local church should certainly get in touch now!

Long term best or short term fix?

Maybe this is a stupid question but how do we decide between the long term best and the short term fix? Or, if we want to get there, where do we go from here?

For example, if some of our church music is pretty weak and we want to improve it (particularly making it more attractive to the under 40s) and eventually we want to chant the Psalms, do we just do it, introduce Psalm practice, start on some metrical Psalms, or give up on the whole thing and buy Spring Harvest 07, or what?

Or take the Sunday School. If we want children to be in church with their parents as much as possible, do we spend lots of time and energy on having a great Sunday school so that we can have lots of kids to send out to it?

I know, it all depends and we must distinguish. But it feels like giving up on long term goals for the sake of short term expediecy. Maybe its time for a cuppa.

Towards a Strategy for our children's and youth work

I’d love to hear from church members, qualified and / or practicing youth / children’s workers, or indeed anyone who’s interested, about how we can develop our church work in this area, which I think its fair to say is struggling relative to the rest of our church life.

We’re a large conservative evangelical Anglican church in the centre of town with no schools and few residential homes in the Parish. We have 400 on the electoral roll and a strong ministry to holiday makers.

The aims of our church’s children’s and youth work are really the same as those of all its work: to present everyone perfect in Christ (Colossians 1:28f), in this case, particularly, young people.

This will involve evangelism and discipleship. We want to see people go from having no Christian contact to training others to make disciples of others.

In practice, this will probably mean (at least) some groups and activities directed mainly at out-reach and evangelism and some aimed at nurture and Bible teaching. There will need to be training in ministry and some will need specialised training in training others!

As a minimum, we should be seeking to provide evangelism and discipleship for everyone and as far as we can for each sub-group.

We need things outreach opportunities that church children are enthusiastic to involve their non-Christian friends in.

In the case of children and youth, the work most naturally divides up into age groups. So, we need groups or activities directed mainly at evangelism and others directed mainly at discipleship for our 0s to 30s.

In all this we seek to support parents who have the primary responsibility before God for the discipleship of their children. The church’s ministry to parents will be a ministry to their children.

None of our children’s activities should be merely babysitting services.

Some of our most important discipleship and nurture Bible teaching of children might be done in a Sunday School during the main morning service, but increasingly and as much as possible our children and young people should take a full part in the Lord’s Day service of covenant renewal. At the moment, the children and young people are in for the first part of the service (in which there is usually a children’s talk) and they re-join us for the Lord’s Supper (when it is celebrated once a month in the morning service).

We currently have a staffed crèche on a Sunday morning (0s to 3s) and a full children’s Sunday School: Whizz Kids (school years: Reception, 1 & 2), Explorers (school years: 3-6), Pathfinders (school years 7-9) and IMPACT (school year 10 and over).

There is no reason why a reasonably bright 14 year old should not profit from a serious 30 minute sermon. If the sermon usually seems dull, irrelevant and off-putting to the 14 year old, then the chances are that it will seem like that to many adults too. A grammar school child of 11 should manage to benefit from a sermon too. Even with younger children, it may be better for them to stay in church (even if they don’t understand much) with their families rather than go out of the Lord’s Day service. Children and adults will all want their own dedicated teaching and groups at other times (just as adults belong to a homegroup).

For most people, after their 30s and until their old age, their age becomes a less important defining factor for which groups or activities they might be involved with. Things like their education, employment, gifts, interests, background, shape of family, free time might be more significant factors.

All our groups and activities should have clear aims and plans about how to seek to fulfil them that we can prayerfully review.

In our current programme, HT Club (a weekly parent and toddler group, with Bible songs and a story) and SNAP club (Saturday Night All Play, a monthly meeting for 7 to 11 year olds, games with a short Bible Talk) are our only regular outreach events. We need to expand our outreach to ages 4-6 and 11+.

HT Club seeks to encourage parents and children to be involved on a Sunday morning and in our mothers and others Bible Study and is quite effective.

We have probably not seen anyone move from SNAP club to Sunday church involvement in the last 5 years. Although sometimes about 25 kids come along and are taught something of the Bible, the group is not really effective in moving kids on or in reaching parents. About a third of the children attended are involved at some other church.

We have a fledgling Youth Group (for the 14s+) meeting on a Sunday after the evening service. This looks very promising but I’m not 100% clear what it’s for yet, what it will do or how its different from the IMPACT group during the morning service for those in school year 10 and above.

A few students are involved in the church during the vacations.

There are some students and some foreign language students in the town, but our church does not seem to reach them.

Our 20s and 30s used to have a reading group, but that kind of folded because they were involved in home groups and other things anyway and there wasn’t wild enthusiasm for it.

In the past the church has employed a youth worker. We have the cash to do so again and there’s been some talk of perhaps buying a house to accommodate a worker but we’re not sure what the best thing might be.

Discuss.

Calvin on Child Communion

The Draft Ecclesiastical Ordinances September & October 1541 of Calvin’s Geneva state:

“The Sunday before the celebration [of the Lord’s Supper], intimation is to be made, in order that no child come before it has made profession [footnote 60: the profession] of its faith as proved by examination by the Catechism….”

(p67 cited from Calvin, John, Calvin: Theological Treatises Library of Christian Classics Volume XXII, Translated with Introduction and Notes by J. K. S. Reid (London, SCM Press, 1954))

Does anyone happen to know at what age children in Calvin’s Geneva typically passed their catechism examination or the age of the youngest child admitted to the Supper there?

If The Catechism of the Church of Geneva that is a Plan for Instructing Children in the Doctrine of Christ (1545) (Reid, p83ff) is any thing to go by, it would require pretty serious learning. The Catechism is divided up into material for 55 Sundays and runs to about 50 pages in Reid.

I think I’m in favour of giving the Supper to covenant children as soon as they can eat solids and manage the cup, but I guess perhaps the case for this is even stronger in a church which has had Evangelical teaching for a generation, when all those who have been baptised will be the children of professing believers and covenant members, rather than in a first generation Reformation situation?

In any case, Calvin’s standard of profession is clearly far too high. Not that we shouldn’t aim high, but not as an entry requirement. There is no theological exam or a scary interview panel for admittance to either the Lord’s Supper or the Wedding Feast of the Lamb! If the child is baptised, his parents are professing believers in good standing, and he says “Jesus is Lord!” with all appearance of sincerity and wants to eat, I cannot see that we can dare to forbid him the Lord’s Supper when Jesus himself accepts him and says suffer the little children to come to me. Like another excluded person, the child might very well say: “Look, here is bread and wine. Why shouldn’t I be fed?” (c.f. Acts 8:36 and note that even if v37 is original, its hardly a catechetical examination like Calvin’s!).

Catechism Questions

According to Reid, Luther reintroduced the question and answer form to catechisms that had fallen into desuetude.

He argues that Calvin’s catechism reads like a dialogue between minister and child where the minister asks unashamedly leading questions and supplies as much doctrine as the interviewee. At one point, the roles even seem to be reversed where the child says to the minister, Verum, “Quite Right!” (p109).

In the Westminster Catechism the form is much more crisp and direct, more like an interrogation or examination.

See Calvin, John, Calvin: Theological Treatises Library of Christian Classics Volume XXII, Translated with Introduction and Notes by J. K. S. Reid (London, SCM Press, 1954) p84.

I wonder if perhaps catechisms loomed rather too large for Calvin. He called them “the solemn symbol of Christian communion” (Catechism, Reid, p90), though we must make sure we give that place to the Word of God, Baptism and the Supper.

Exciting Book Launch on Saturday

Here are some jottings for the talk I’m giving on camp on Saturday. Obviously the 11-14 year olds will be fascinated by my observations on Blair and Brown and need to know that Caesar is not Lord!

Mark 1:1-8

Listen to Mark’s Good News about King Jesus

[Why is today an extremely exciting day?]

Harry Potter book launch today

An even more exciting

Massively more important book

A True Story

An opportunity to explore this book of Mark

Look back at our reading

V1 is like a title

It’s the kind of thing that should be in 2 inch high gold letters on the front of the book.

Or, maybe better, v1 is like a heading, or a headline from a newspaper:

THE GOSPEL ABOUT JESUS CHRIST

“Gospel” means Good News.

In fact, Mark tells us the best good news in the world ever.

“Gospel” is the kind of word you’d use for some great announcement.

“Gospel” is a word that you could use to describe the birth of a great new king.

Olden days – proclamation going throughout the land – man on a horse and a trumpeter – “The King is Dead – Long Live the King! There’s a New King! Everything’s changed!”

Gordon Brown – a new ruler - how much it really affects us? – will anything really change?

Tony Blair’s government – a new era – going to change the world – a false hope

Jesus is a new king – he’s one who doesn’t disappoint.

Mark’s gospel shows us that Jesus can deliver what he promises.

Jesus is not just another human king.

He’s the ultimate king: God’s chosen king.

As we look at Mark’s gospel together this week, we’ll see that Jesus is the king of creation – clams the storm – cures diseases.

This word “Good News” could also be used to describe a decisive victory in a battle.

Satan can’t stand against him – like a strong man, tied up, Jesus can come in and take away all Satan’s stuff!

Jesus’ cross looks like a dreadful defeat, but in fact its an amazing victory

The resurrection proves that Jesus is enthroned as the King of the Universe

Jesus brings a change of government that changes everything!

Not Ceaser is Lord, but Jesus is Lord.

Ceaser claiming to be The Son of God – Jesus is the Son of God

Gordon Brown, Tony Blair, whoever, are not Lord!

The hope for our world is not a new human government, but King Jesus – and the new “age” he’s brought in.

“Christ” – promised Messiah – God’s chosen one – rescuer / king

Promised in Isaiah

About 800 years before Jesus

V2

John the Baptist comes before Jesus to tell us that “Jesus is the One!” (v7_

All this waiting – at last he’s come!

V3 – Jesus is in fact “the Lord” God himself

Not only the Son of God but God the Son.

God has come to his people and he’s going to sort everything out.

It calls for a response.

John was saying, “get ready! Look out! He’s coming”

V4 - “repent”

Important – really matters

Listen to Mark’s Good News

We leaders just want to do what John the Baptist was doing in v7 – we want to point you to Jesus and tell you how marvellous he is.

If you’re already trusting in Jesus, that’s fantastic.

We hope this week will be a great encouragement to you.

Grow in confidence as we think about Jesus greatness.

Enjoy learning more with you about who Jesus is and what he came to do.

You know how it is when you’ve got really good news? – You’re just bursting to tell people!

We’ve got the best good news in the world ever to tell people.

If you’re not yet trusting in Jesus…

This could be the best week of your life!

You could look back on this week when you’re as old as the leaders as the time when your sins were forgiven (v4)

When the Holy Spirit renewed your heart and made you clean on the inside (v8)

We’re going to think a lot more about these things this week.

You probably have lots of questions about what I’ve said.

But we hope that as you listen to these talks and in our Bible studies, you’ll weigh up these things for yourself.

Ask yourself: Who is Jesus? Why did he come? What difference should it make to me?

We want you to listen to Mark’s Good News about Jesus.

Buzzzzz

Here are some jottings for the Buzz group we’re thinking of doing on camp on Tuesday (advance planning, or wot?!:

Main teaching point:

Because of our rebellion against God, we rightly deserve the punishment of death and judgement

Bible verse:

Hebrews 9v27

Introductory Game:

Consequences

(In groups, leaders to check for “appropriateness” of what members read out!)

X met Y at Z. X said A, Y said B and the consequence was C.

Teaching point:

All sorts of things in life have consequences.

We were thinking in this Buzz group yesterday about our rebellion against God.

We’re going to think today about some of the consequences of that rebellion.

Group Discussion:

What punishment fits the crime?

Sheet of scenarios to discuss in groups (e.g. a pupil swears at a teacher, a man murders his parents etc.)– what would the appropriate punishment be.

(Its not actually for us to decide – we’re not the judges!)

Teaching point:

The Bible tells us that our rebellion against God is terrible. He made us, we belong tohim, so we ought to serve him. He loves us and gives us everything yet we reject him. Our rebellion is worse than treason against the greatest king or murder of the most loving parent.

The Bible tells us that death and judgement are the right punishment for our rebellion against God.

Hebrews 9v27.

The Bible tells us that God’s judgement is awful. It is very bad news for rebels like us.

But that’s not the whole story. The Bible has great good news for rebels: that God loves us despite our rebellion and that he’s sorted it out so that we don’t have to face his judgement if we trust in Jesus. We’re going to think about that good news more tomorrow in this Buzz Group, so make sure you come back for that!