In 1530, Martin Luther (the namesake of our particular denomination) had completed a series of visits with churches throughout Germany and was appalled at how little Christians knew of God's Word - yes, even the pastors!  He set out to write a book that contained a brief summary of the basics of the Christian Faith.  His little teaching book became known as Luther's Small Catechism.  In summary he reviewed the Ten Commandments, the Apostles' Creed, the Our Father ("Lord's Prayer"), Baptism, the Lord's Supper, and the "Office of the Keys" (the church's role in forgiveness). His hope was that these teachings would become a sort of "Cliff Notes" of the Christian faith.  He also provided an explanation of each item as it applied to the daily life of believers.

Today, the practice of Catechesis (instruction in the Christian faith), is still a significant part of the Lutheran Church - it was Luther's hope that we as Christians would believe, teach, and confess the same faith as delivered in the Word of God.  At St. Mark, the rite of Confirmation is an opportunity for our 8th graders to make public confession of the faith they have learned by catechesis.  Our confirmation ministry is called "Head to the Heart".  Rather than simply being an academic exercise in head knowledge, we seek to integrate faith into the lives of 6th-8th graders through a variety of educational approaches an opportunitites to build relationships where we attempt to instill the value of "moving faith" from the head to the heart.  We use PowerPoint for the outlines of lessons, we engage in gameshow-style quizzes to see what our students already know before we begin a lesson ("open the kids before opening the book").  We have skits, testimonies of faith given by members, time in small group discussion and study of the bible.  What's more, the model we use sees learning as part of the whole person; namely, we learn and grow in our faith not only in the classroom, but as we play and engage in engage in service projects together.  The model is one of LEARN, PLAY SERVE.

When you consider the example of Jesus in teaching his disciples, you might see the same method.  He instructed them frequently by word and example, often using everday objects to help reinforce his teaching - that's Learning! In their travels, Jesus and his disciples took time to play; in fact, the very first miracle recorded in John 5 took place in Cana at a wedding.  Jesus was at a party with his friends - that's Play!  Some churches use the word "Fellowship" to describe this personal interaction with others.  He also met the needs of people he encountered and came "to serve, not to be served and to give his life as a ransom for many." (Mark 10:45) - that's serving!  As a incoming college student, the Dean of Students addressed my class, telling us that the life lessons we learned on the sports field, in service projects and social settings were just as important to our growth as what we learned in the classroom.  It seems Jesus knew that lesson and practiced it with his followers.

Whether you are a kid or an adult, Learning, Play and Serving together will help you grow as a believer in Jesus Christ.  Faith is truly a gift of God (Romans 10 says "faith comes by hearing...the Word of God"), but our ongoing participation in a community of faith (church) is often based upon the relationships we form when we engage in fellowship (play) and serve alongside others in menaingful projects.  Those who remain active in their church found and continue to find opportunity for each to apply faith to life.  I hope you will follow the example of Jesus and consider how you can grow in your faith as you Learn, Play and Serve.

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