Time for Catechesis

I just realized that, right now, I am spending eight hours each week teaching catechism or Bible Information Class. I have three different BIC classes going, as well as our regular LES catechism and our public school confirmation class. For a total of 16 people. It would seem to be a better use of my time to have bigger classes, but I have found many perks of working with 2–4 people at a time. It seems to invite better discussion than in a large group, where the same number of individuals tend to dominate the discussion. That said, I wouldn’t mind having a few more people in any of the classes. (You’re welcome to join us.)

And as much time as all this takes, I must say that it remains one of the most enjoyable parts of my week. In just one week, I had the lessons on the purposes of the law, the 2nd Commandment, Holy Baptism, and the characteristics of God. Can’t wait for this week’s lessons.

But can you just imagine it—spending so much time with the basics of the Christian faith? And the most amazing thing is that it never seems dull. I never get tired of it. I never master it, or reach the point where I don’t benefit from the basic teachings of the Scriptures.

Maybe you don’t have the opportunity to teach these things time and again. But most probably have the opportunity to attend your pastor’s Bible Information Class (or whatever he calls it). I tell people every time I start a class that it’s a great refresher for long-time Lutherans. I’ve had just a handful of people take me up on it. But every single one of them has remarked at how much they (re)learned, or how much they had forgotten. Try it. You won’t regret it.