Here in the Church Activities Department, we sometimes hear members of a church say, “We don’t have a Sunday School.” In a literal sense, this usually means there are no students appearing each week.
But before there were ever children in a space in a church building, Sunday School was a spiritually inspired idea. Jesus didn’t have a Sunday School or organized classes and programs for young people, but he expressed a deep love for children and welcomed their innate innocence, eagerness, and joy. When the disciples scolded parents for bringing their children to him, he said, “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these children” (Mark 10:14, New Living Translation).
We know how deeply branch church members cherish this Science and yearn to share it. Whatever influences appear to be keeping children (or parents) from the embrace of Christ, nothing can stop us from opening our hearts to the childlike qualities that constitute Sunday School, including an expectation that children will want to come to a place where they can learn more about God’s goodness.
