For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.
Ephesians 2:8-9

One of my favorite things about early childhood is watching each child approach a task in their own way. I especially love it when they are given a blank piece of paper and crayons or paint. Some get right at it as if they’ve been planning for this all day. Some may sit and think about what to create and where to begin. Some may need some nudging. Then there’s the moment of completion. When are they done? For some, it’s a quick process and they are satisfied before some children have even put brush to paper. Some are methodical and will work step by step, carefully reviewing their work before determining they are finished. Still others will paint and paint until the paper is worn through.

Our reading today reminds us of the gift of grace. We are saved by that grace through faith. We know that. We know that God has done it all for us. We know that what Jesus did on the cross, in the grave, on Easter morning and at Ascension has completed everything for us. That is amazing! But as human beings, sinful human beings, this is so hard to grasp!

Sometimes we can be like the children in their work at creating their painting. We keep working and working, striving and striving, so often led by guilt or a feeling of not having done enough. We want to please God, and that’s a wonderful goal. But our works, our efforts, are not a means to draw us closer to God or heaven. All that we do should be a reflection of what God has done. It’s never about us. It’s always about him. We help the struggling child and use words of comfort to point them to Jesus’ comfort for them. We reach out to a family in need to reflect Jesus’ heart of love for all. We strive to provide excellence in our classrooms so that nothing gets in the way of the children hearing about their loving Savior. This side of heaven, it’s hard to grasp and understand this. But his grace is sufficient; his grace has done it all. We get to live a life of joy and peace because of what he has done. Put your paintbrush of good work down. Your painting of forgiveness has been completed by Jesus. Instead, live each day rejoicing in that gift of his grace and sharing it with others.

Prayer: Dear Father, you provide a peace that is beyond human understanding. That peace is in the grace you have given to us through faith. “Thank you” seems so inadequate but our gratitude is overwhelming when we consider all your grace has given us. Help us to live as a reflection of your grace, pointing to you. In your name we pray. Amen.

May your deeds be shown to your servants, your splendor to their children. May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon us: establish the work of our hands for us—yes, establish the work of our hands.
Psalm 90:16-17

As a new school year is upon us, this prayer from Psalm 90 becomes ours. The daily teaching, preparation, and cleanup fill our days. There is so much to be done and our active hands will accomplish many tasks before this school year ends.|

To establish that work, to make the accomplishments last, God must be involved. To be more precise – we are involved in God’s work, not God involved in ours. As we do his work, what deeds of God will be revealed to his servants in the coming months?

We’ll review the Bible history lessons and teach the little ones to praise and pray. God establishes that word as the Holy Spirit works and strengthens faith in those pint-size hearts through the gospel.

We’ll see God’s hand at work as he blesses the lives of his children. They will learn their letters, colors, numbers, and sounds. If we’re lucky, they might even learn to sit still for ten minutes at a time. Above all, God’s work of faith can show itself in the songs and prayers they take home to their families.

In the coming school year, we can expect to see challenges that make it feel like God no longer looks at us with favor. Kids get sick; maybe a serious illness or disability is diagnosed. Our church or school could hit a rough patch as well. Yet when we say, “May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon us,” we are not offering a weak request or a flimsy hope. The Lord’s favor does rest upon us because of Christ Jesus. No sickness can change it. No ministry challenge can end our favorable status in Jesus. We know he will strengthen his people for the challenges that he sends their way. Yes, Lord, establish the work of our hands this year and always.

Prayer: Oh Triune God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, show me your gracious deeds and establish the work of my hands. May it all be to your glory! Amen.

I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
John 10:10

In the blink of an eye, it all came crashing to a halt – literally! A truck traveling at highway speed veered onto the shoulder and crashed into the trailer. Amy’s parents jumped to safety just before the collision. The rest of the family didn’t. Amy suffered broken legs and other serious injuries. The healing and return to the fullness of life would take some time. But her grandfather was killed. Amy would never forget that holiday weekend hayride!

It is a natural question to ask why. In so many ways, tragedies seem inconsistent with how we think our loving Lord should let us experience life. Yet Jesus’ words remain true, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” Fullness of life does not consist of merely having fun, laughing, and enjoying quality time with the family. While such blessings come from God, they are incomplete if the knowledge of why Jesus has come is missing. True fullness of life includes knowing that Jesus came to rescue the world from sin and defeat death forever. He came to be the answer for every tragedy that crashes into life.

Four-year-olds like Amy aren’t exempt from needing to know where to find true fullness of life. Christian teachers, even preschool teachers, won’t dance around and avoid talking about death thinking it’s too deep a subject for our young students. The deep subject of death is answered by simple truths. God loved the world enough to send his Son into the world. God’s Son, Jesus, lived without ever sinning so that he could die to pay for all the bad things we have done. After he died, he came back to life to prove that all who believe in him will live with him forever in heaven.

What is fullness of life for Amy, in terms a four-year-old would use? “Grampa went to be with Jesus. And Jesus is with me while I get better, until I see Grampa again in heaven.”

Prayer: Lord Jesus, you are life. You give us life. Answer our tragedies by turning our eyes to you, your forgiveness, and life with you forever. In your name, we pray. Amen.

Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.
Hebrews 10:23

Reflecting on our year is not always easy. It can make us anxious as we remember interactions with parents or children that were difficult. It can make us sad as we think of the students who are moving on to a different classroom or school. It can make us joyful as we remember all the silly things that only young children will say. Reflecting is hard because it is looking backwards. Whatever emotions it brings to the surface, they can be hard to manage because those things are in the past. They cannot be changed and we cannot go back to them.

In our passage from Hebrews today, we are asked not to look back but to look forward. That word “hope” is a word used in anticipation. We are eagerly awaiting something that will happen in the future. And we are not hoping in the sense that we really want something to happen but are not sure that it will. We are hoping in the sense that we have complete trust in God that it will happen.

The hope we profess is that Jesus will come again and take us to our true home someday. Through Jesus’ blood on the cross he has won us a place in heaven, where we will spend eternity with him. Every promise that God made about heaven will come true, for he is faithful to his promises. There will be no more pain, crying, or death (Revelation 21:4); no hunger or thirst (Revelation 7:16-17); there will be nothing impure (Revelation 21:27); we will have our very own house built by God (John 14:2, 2 Corinthians 5:1); and best of all, we belong there with Jesus (Philippians 3:20.)

As we reflect on the past year and even look ahead to the next year, let us not lose sight of what is still to come for us, an eternal home in heaven.

Prayer:
Jesus, your Church, with longing eyes
for your expected coming waits.
When will the promised light arise
and glory beam from heaven’s gates?

Teach us in watchfulness and prayer
to wait for your appointed hour,
And fit us by your grace to share
the triumphs of your conqu’ring pow’r.
(Christian Worship: A Lutheran Hymnal-9 v. 1 & 5)

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Romans 15:13

Americans are addicted to work. When meeting up with a friend for coffee, often the common question is, “How have you been?” The common answer is, “Busy.” We take pride in our busyness. We somehow feel that the busier we are, the more important we must be. Being a hard worker is a quality personality trait, but being a workaholic is not.

It is important during these quieter summer months to take time to renew your mind, body and faith. Your job of training young children to follow Jesus is so important. Being overworked, stressed and letting our faith grow weak is not being a faithful servant. There is only one solution to this: Jesus

We can find comfort in Jesus’ life. Jesus was a hard worker. He preached from dawn until dusk. He went from town to town healing, teaching, and training his disciples. His work was very important, but even Jesus took time away from his work. He would go somewhere secluded with his friends or even wander off alone to speak with his Father. He needed to renew his strength and faith so he could continue to serve others. That life is YOUR life. Jesus lived it perfectly for you and it became your life at your baptism when Jesus took his perfection and put it on you.

We can find comfort in Jesus’ death. There Jesus paid for all sins for all time, which also became yours at your baptism. He forgives us for the times we fail to trust in him. He forgives us for the times we forget to draw from God’s word.

The hope that we find in Jesus’ life and death fills us with peace and joy. Only when we are filled with those things will they overflow onto the children that we teach.

Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, continue to fill me with your love, joy, and peace. May I be a light to others as I go about my work of teaching little lambs. Amen.

I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
Philippians 1:3-6

Thank you notes. Such a simple gesture. You have likely gotten a variety of thank you notes. There are the ones from your students that are handmade and full of their love for you. You may get notes this time of year from parents that express their gratitude for your loving attention to their child. You might be working with your students on thank you notes to send to volunteers and others who have contributed in some way to their classroom this year. While it may be simple, a thank you note can encourage and touch the hearts of the recipient.

As the year draws to a close, we often reflect on the children and families we serve. We thank God for the opportunity and privilege to partner with parents and to share the gospel with the children and their families. We thank God for the blessings of relationships built and strengthened this year. Among those relationships may be those with whom we serve. Philippians 1 is a wonderful reminder for us to also take the time to stop and thank God for those with whom we serve. Those individuals may be in our classrooms and centers, at our own congregation, at a neighboring congregation, in our district, or in a congregation we don’t even know. You may serve in a center with just you or in a center with a number of staff members. You may have another center nearby or maybe the nearest center is hours away. But in each of those centers are people like you whose goal is to share the precious gospel with young children and their families. What a blessing! Today’s verses remind us of the fellowship we share with others who serve as teachers, directors, aides, and volunteers in early childhood ministries each day. The verses also provide the comfort and encouragement that we can be confident as this year draws to a close and each day that God is the one to carry our work on to completion. It is he who blesses all we do.

So today we send a thank you note of prayer. It is simple, it is sincere, and it is full of joy. We thank God for the privilege of serving, for those we are blessed to serve, and for those with whom we serve. Today I send a thank you note of prayer to God for each of you and pray that he continues to bless his work through you.

Prayer: Dearest Lord, I thank you for the privilege of sharing your gospel each day. I thank you also for all those who serve in the preaching and teaching ministry. Bless them, guide them, strengthen them, and give them the joy and confidence that it is you who blesses all that they do. In your name we pray, Amen.

She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.
Matthew 1:21

Have you ever asked a group of young children what they think that first Christmas was like? Very likely they try to fill in some of the missing details. Perhaps they have extreme concern over the sheep that the shepherd likely left when they “hurried off” to see Jesus–they wonder if the angels stayed and looked after them, or, at the very least, scared off the wolves so that the sheep would be safe. Another child might envy the shepherds, the first visitors of Jesus, because “after everyone else found out about Jesus there was a very long line to hold that baby”.

God doesn’t give us every detail about that first Christmas, but we can be assured that everything we need to know is written down for us in his Word, the Bible. When we look in his Word, we see that he was more than just a baby. We needed Jesus to come! We fail to live as we should. We gossip or tell lies about people. We try to manipulate situations to work for our good and to someone else’s disadvantage. We live for ourselves.

And yet we see His glory. We see that God became a baby, a human, one of us. God sent his Son, who never did wrong, to be a part of our dirty, sinful world. Jesus was all God and all man. Jesus did all the things people do–he ate, slept, cried, felt emotional and physical pain. And he died.

The only “human” trait Jesus did not have was sin. He never lied, never gossiped, never disobeyed God. God’s glory was revealed to us through Jesus’ sinless life and his death on the cross. And now we have seen his glory! We share in his victory because he has taken our sins upon himself and has given us the crown of life. God’s glory is ours through Jesus!

Prayer: Yea, Lord, we greet thee, born this happy morning! Jesus, to thee be all glory given, Word of the Father, now in flesh appearing. Oh, come let us adore him! Oh, come let us adore him! Oh, come let us adore him, Christ the Lord! Amen

Christian Worship 55 v 4