Exquisite labour

on the ordinary joys of serving in the local body of Christ

By the time this goes up, I’ll be done teaching, but as I write this, I have one week left in my Sunday school teaching rotation; tomorrow is my last Sunday, to be exact. Another revolution of the teaching wheel is already coming to a close, and I am so grateful that I feel satisfaction in this time around; I thank the Lord that it feels like my best yet.

I teach the youngest class our church offers, children mostly aged 4-6.

From the very beginning of this endeavour last fall, when I taught them for the first time, I have taken this wonderful privilege so seriously. There is no age-of-understanding necessary that makes teaching the Lord’s Word “more” important; for example, teaching the adult class, or the middle-school class, is not more important than teaching the littles because the adults and older children can intellectually comprehend more of the Scriptures than our youngest age bracket.

My job is not less honourable because these children are small and only just beginning to understand biblical concepts; if anything, it is an immense honour to be able to walk alongside their parents, who are their foremost instructors of Christ and His Word, teaching them big ideas from Scripture on a weekly basis in their formative years.

From my search for effective object lessons to supplement the Scriptures, to the new, simple repetitious phrase I coin in an effort to help them remember what they learned (Q. What did Jesus command? A. Go and make disciples!), and the joy when they remember what we learned last week, two weeks ago, etc—there is joy, joy, joy.

It is truly, always, a glorious burden and true privilege to handle the Word of God, especially when I can do it in the way Scripture calls for.

At my childhood church, I also had the privilege of assisting with children’s church for a short spell and for a couple of years, I taught and ran a station during VBS. I have always been heavily impressed of the serious importance and privilege I bear in bringing the gospel to young minds.

My father was the English adult Sunday school teacher for 26 years and Bible study teacher for young men on Wednesday nights. Occasionally, he would teach the adult Bible study. He would often tell my siblings and I how serious this was, and how he felt a sense of awe and gravity. He would think on how these were the sheep that the Lord had called to Himself, and he had a duty to help shepherd them in this moment. My father would always remind us that if we had an opportunity to teach ourselves, that we must not be “preachy.” That is to say: we should not form a lesson based off what we think the people listening need to hear; we should not preach at them, from our own prideful notions. What a true disservice to the holy Word of God this would be! What an ugly, self-serving insertion of myself! I am not the Holy Spirit; I do not serve as the conscience to God’s people. (This is why expository, exegetical teaching from the pulpit is so important and is much more effective and glorifying to God than topical/targeted preaching.)

I have done my best to adopt these same attitudes every time I have been tasked with teaching young children.

The Lord is gracious: not just in allowing me to teach His covenant children, but in the benefits thereof. This week to week service to Him and His sheep is a way to keep me close to Him, close to His Word, close to His holiness. My desires are attuned to His; my sense of accountability is heightened during this season. Of course, as I grow in the Lord and my sanctification increases, so too this feeling in my daily living, but the beautiful burden of handling God’s Word necessitates greater responsibility, and I think that’s why the Lord allows me to feel this way each time it’s my turn.

Luke 12:48

…Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more.

My father has spoken of a similar feeling in his years of teaching. In moments of decision or difficulty, the very words he had taught to others have come ringing in his ear. How could he not follow through on those words and principles that were derived directly from the Scriptures, words that would make him a hypocrite otherwise, words that required a deeper fealty to the Lord?

Aside from this, the Lord is so good in allowing me to feel good about what I am doing for Him. My work in the church is nothing more than obedience Him. It is what I should do: I should be serving the church in some capacity or another. How beautiful the Father is, to make me rejoice, to allow me to feel satisfaction in my labour for Him! It is He who makes this work exquisite. He adds elegance and loveliness to what I have been tasked to do. What a gift! What further proof that our God is one of benevolence and grace—He allows us to feel good when we are merely acting in obedience. We don’t just obey and move on. Even when we are begrudging in our obedience, He is so kind, often helping us move past this misplaced and sinful emotion, convicting us of our erroneous attitude, and then impressing upon us wonder—wonder that we, once enemies of God, can serve such a good and gracious King.

Teaching little children, those who were once considered the least of these (and increasingly are again, in our child-hating, life-hating culture), is an exquisite burden that I rejoice to bear. I glory in being able to serve my Lord and my Saviour in His church, and I ask for His guidance in my weekly preparations. May He continue to mould me and better me that I might be more effective for Him in this way—even if “this way” will one day mean scrubbing toilets or mopping floors in the house of the Lord! Whatever work I do for Him, I hope to maintain a joyful attitude to the glory of the Lord.

*photos from Unsplash