N. B.  These are Caroline's notes for her talk on Education Sunday...

The Message of the Cross: What, Why, Who and how?

Foolishness!! Blond joke, my ‘blond’ moments! Locked in car! Ran out of petrol! Church alarm at midnight!

World of Education . . . much concerned with wisdom. Gaining knowledge, skills. Has much changed? Corinthian culture. Chapter 1 verse 20 - Wise man. Scholar - philosopher of the age. Society admires ‘wisdom’, learning, experience.

Corinth in AD 54 was a cosmopolitan city where Greeks, Latins, Syrians, Asiatics, Egyptians and Jews lived. The City was dominated by the temple of Aphrodite, goddess of love, built on heights of acropolis, where temple prostitutes worked, sexual licence. Has much changed?

It was to this culture that Paul brought the message of the cross . . . that of Christ crucified, Christ the wisdom and power of God.  Foolishness, or wisdom?  I am working as a schools worker . . . bringing the ‘foolishness of the message of the cross’ to the perishing. Verse18. But the power of God to those who are being saved. Foolishness, or wisdom?

WHY do we need to bring the message?

Obedience commanded to the law : Verse 2: ‘Follow them so that you may live and may go in and take possession of the land that the Lord, the God and of your fathers, is giving you’

Verses 9-11:  Need to teach the following generations. (Joel 1v 3, Deut 6 v 4-9 : impress, talk, tie, write) Did they follow this command? Some did, many didn’t. Look at what happened to the Jewish people, God’s chosen people. Judges, Kings, split nation, exile . . .

But the pattern was laid down by God as a model. We learn, we obey, we teach the next generation.

We are now under the new covenant, we have ‘Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God-that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption’ .

We’ve got THIS message, not the Old Covenant of the Law of Moses, but the New Covenant of Christ. A message of freedom, forgiveness, of the fresh start, of hope, of life fulfilled and with meaning on earth and beyond. A message that goes on beyond the grave. Foolishness, or wisdom?

Why do we bring the message? Just as the Corinthians needed to hear this message, so does our culture. People are crying out for meaning, for making sense of life.

Now where Christianity is established, the model for the continuation of the faith is like the Old Testament desired model. You start with the children. You teach it to your children, and their children. It’s what we do here at Christ Church, it’s what all churches do ‘in house’. But as a nation, this is not what happens. 

Numbers declining in church? WHY?

Daily Mail said, “Trendy vicars drive people away”
Gavin Reid said,”No, it’s hearses that drive people away!”

The old are dying off, we must be fed from below. Consumerism mindset of our culture, Sunday is a very different day from 60 years ago. Youth group shopping. In the 1940’s/50’s, at least half of all children went to Sunday School but there has been a big change in social structure.  It is not now the norm to go to Sunday School.

Vast majority come to faith as children. Statistically you are 8 times more likely to come to faith if you’re under 13. Children, not teenagers!!! Shock!! Did you think that this was the case?

Children’s ministry: primary ministry of the church, most fertile area!

So why do we bring the message? Because it is ‘ Christ crucified, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.’ and the ‘foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.’ This is a message that needs to be shared. And it’s not part of our culture and upbringing like it used to be. I’ve seen the change and I’m only 33!!

WHO do we bring the message to?

Despite our secular, consumerist, hedonistic society, we are still a Christian linked country. There is the link between government and church; there is a nodding acquaintance with Christianity in the UK. There is also a vast multi- cultural, multifaith nature to Britain today, and also burgeoning spiritual awareness (has it ever gone away?), whether through the practice of meditative yoga (Madonna, Sting) or an appreciation of ‘Mother Nature’.

We bring this message into a society steeped in historical Christianity, but embarrassed to be seen to actually believe it, a society crying out for some meaning to the big questions, a society with every convenience, yet striving to find any quality time to enjoy life . . .

People are interested in spirituality, in God. But are put off by their preconceptions of church. Adults and children alike! YEAR 6 ATTITUDE! But we’ve already seen we must feed from below, we must reach our children as well as our adults.

HOW?

Isaiah 40 verses 3-5  Promise that if the path is made straight, glory of God will be revealed.

Break down: preconceptions, misconceptions

Build up: Concept of God, knowledge of the Bible, positive view of Christianity, contact with Christians, links with churches.

1. Think bigger than Sunday. After school clubs, Holiday Clubs, camps, Sat mornings.
2. Get into schools. They need allies. Our distinctiveness? A problem?
3. Church itself: child friendly
4. Challenge: make children a priority.

Think: Soul in the City. Youth congregation. Fed by the children. Leaders of tomorrow’s church. Lead to Gospel friendly culture. Raising of morals and values.

CONCLUSION

Our society, like Corinth, needs a raising of morals and values. But it needs to know the love and forgiveness of God. This is the message we need to bring, Christ crucified, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. Foolishness, or wisdom?

We’ve got to bring this message in a relevant way to all, adults, and children. We neglect bringing this message to the children of this land at our own peril. The church cannot grow without them. To overlook them in our sharing of the gospel: foolishness, or wisdom?

© Caroline Bailey
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