Learning Alongside Children

Overview

Sunday School and Confirmation curricula have long sought to teach children the basic tenets of Christian faith. Some with more creativity than others, but each of them seeking to share information with young people that might inform their lives. Research shows that parents actually believe it is almost entirely their role to pass faith to their children, with churches serving a minor supporting role. How might our approach to faith-formation help parents learn alongside their children? How might we meet parents in ordinary moments of intersection with their children, inviting them into a life of faith reflected in everything they do? Might we see these principles of Lutheran faith and identity sparkling in, with, and under ordinary moments?

Framework

  1. Get curious.

  2. Play a little.

  3. Wonder together.

Moments of Intersection

Waiting at the bus stop

  1. Get curious about the sunrise, describe the colors that it scatters around, notice the shadows dancing on the sidewalk. 

    1. “Rising on the wings of the morning” is the way Psalm 139 describes the sunrise. Does it look like wings to you? How else would you describe it? Respect for scripture’s authority doesn’t discount other ways God is still speaking.

  2. Play a little with sidewalk chalk, small blades of grass, simple songs, a ball, or footprints in the snow.

    1. What do you do when the bus is late? How might you cultivate compassion for the bus driver, the school district, and our common community? God’s reputation for mercy before judgment inspires our systems for liberation and love.

  3. Wonder together about the moment that this is for each of you, beginning a new day.

    1. Jesus is compared to the first of the morning in an ancient song of the church (O Oriens / O Dayspring). How do you see Jesus in the first morning light? Is Jesus in the colors? Is Jesus in the shadows? God is active in ancient tradition and the evolution of human experience. 

    2. Sometimes parents get sad dropping their children off at the bus stop - their favorite creatures on the planet rolling down the road in a giant tin can. How is God present in those tears? Is God wiping them away? What if parents shared their sadness with their children? God stays in solidarity with us.

    3. What last words do you offer your kids before they get on the bus? Might you be intentional about formalizing this? Might this be an Ordinary Blessing (™ Meta Herrick Carlson) that you provide? How can you affirm their goodness and belovedness as the first word for them in a world that is challenging? God delights in our goodness, not our grind toward perfection.

Other Moments of Intersection

At the dinner table

Doing the dishes

First break-up

Learning to ride a bike

Losing a tooth

Getting their driver’s license

Not making the sports team

Standardized testing

College visits

A pet dying