DownloadArticles : Sunday School
March 15 issue
-
A love story
Many Christians are ambivalent toward Hebrew Law in the Bible. Some assume that, since Jesus came, the Law is obsolete (unless, like a Pontius’ Puddle cartoon pointed out, it serves our interest.) But in this story Naomi and Ruth, destitute widows in a patriarchal, patrilineal culture, are saved by two laws apparently taken seriously by the pre-monarchic Bethlehemites.
March 8 issue
-
House of bread?
Like Jonah, Ruth is a well-written short story, with a beginning, middle and end. Classes who use these lessons in Sunday school should read the entire book in order to understand plot, characters and setting. Though the lessons omit chapter 4, it is the climax to the plot!
March 1 issue
-
A tribal God?
Be careful how you read Jonah 4:2, our “key verse.” It is not a word of praise. It is a bitter response to a deity who has betrayed the very prophet he pulled out of a fish and sent scampering to Nineveh. It must be screamed into the wind, words dripping with sarcasm and frustration.
Feb. 22 issue
-
A fish story
Why does our spring quarter’s series on “Community” start with the story of Jonah? This errant prophet runs away from the only community and God he ever knew. The ending leaves us with a disillusioned Jonah baking alone under a worm-eaten bush, feeling betrayed by a God who changed plans and undercut his efforts.
Feb. 15 issue
-
Extravagant gift
In Mennonite circles, simplicity is often striven for; extravagance is rarely praised. Simpler meetinghouses, clothing and cooking have traditionally been the norm. The popularity of More-with-Less Cookbook and Living More with Less are notable demonstrations of this, as are the modern trends toward “going green” in our daily living. Mennonites were known as thrifty before it became trendy. Many of us shop at thrift stores, a popular way to reuse and recycle items we no longer want, while at the same time helping those less fortunate around the world.
Feb. 8 issue
-
Mountaintop vision
Have you ever been a witness in a court case? I have not, nor have I even attended a trial of any kind, though some years ago my husband was called as a witness in a traffic fatality trial. Eyewitness testimony in any court case can be key in swaying the decision one way or the other.
Download a free PDF showing the populations of
Mennonite groups and other Anabaptists.
