Fall Curriculum
The school year is suddenly upon us! It’s a season to grow and learn—for all of us, not just the kids. It's the growing season for all of us who are students in God’s school. Perhaps you’re like me and realize that you’ve still got an awful lot to learn as an apprentice of Jesus. Yes, Jesus is our Lord and Savior. And he’s also our Teacher, Guide, Master, and Instructor. Jesus' favored method of instruction typically utilizes his go-to book, the Bible, to help us learn and grow. More than 500 years ago, a Pastor named John Calvin put it very simply, “Scripture is the curriculum of the Holy Spirit for us.”
The Elders at Elmhurst CRC endorse this point of view; so much so that last spring the Elders made a decision to have our Sunday morning worship services follow a plan that will take us from the start of the Bible in Genesis to the final the pages of the New Testament and the Holy-Spirit-Filled Church. It’s going to take a little while for the whole story to unfold: from Sunday, September 7 all the way until the end of May.
Of course, the Bible is a big book, so we can’t read every single word on Sunday mornings. We’ll be following a plan - again, endorsed by our Elders - called the Narrative Lectionary. “Lectionary” is not a common word, but simply means, “a reading plan.” I’ll be referring to this plan more commonly as:
A Walk through the Bible
The Big Story of the Bible
Our Journey through the Bible
The goal of this journey is not to produce a bunch of biblical scholars, but to help each of us see the big picture of what God has done in history and what God is still doing. One of the big themes will certainly be that God’s Spirit is always at work for good. Another theme will surely be that the whole Bible points towards Jesus. Every story whispers his name.
If you’re an overachieving student and would like to get a jump on this new spiritual curriculum, I have a few suggestions for you:
– First, you can peruse the Bible readings here. These readings will be the basis of our worship services and will be what Pastor Jeff and I preach on from week to week
– Second, you can sign up for ECRC’s Daily Dose of Scripture, which will text you a short Bible reading and devotional around 7:00 a.m. from an ECRC staff person. These will begin on September 2 and prepare you for the coming Sunday’s worship service, getting God’s word into your ears and heart in advance.
– Third and finally, consider joining a new “Storytelling” team as we bring life to our Bible readings in Sunday morning worship services in fresh and creative ways.
I’m so excited for this different worship experience! Our curriculum for the coming year is simply the Bible, from beginning to end.
– Pastor Gregg