Teach Me Your Way

Chapel talk

Teach me your way, O Lord, that I may walk in your truth; unite my heart to fear your name.

Psalm 86:11

Materials:

• A basketball
• Several volunteers

You may be wondering why I brought a basketball to chapel today. Well, you see, I have decided to try out for the basketball team. I realize I am a bit old and the fact that I am not a student might make me ineligible, but I want to try anyway.

What I really need is practice with is my bounce pass. I need some people to come up and help me. (Bring up three volunteers). We are going to make a circle and you are going to teach me how to bounce pass by practicing with me. (Practice for a while.)

Now, let’s suppose one person on this team remembers that he still has homework to do and so he leaves the group. That is too bad, but we can still practice with three people. (Continue practice.)

Oh, goodness. Now one of the team members is being called home to dinner. Okay, we’re good, we can still practice with each other. (Continue to practice.)

What did you say? You need to go and brush up on your video games?

Well, I guess I no longer have teachers who can help me learn to bounce pass.

That makes me think. Who teaches us things? (coaches, teachers, pastors, DCE’s, parents, grandparents, etc.) Yes, all of these people help us to learn many things much more important than bounce passes. These people teach us about God. They teach us about how God created us, how Jesus died and rose again to save us, and how the Holy Spirit gives us faith. They teach us what we need to know to walk in the truth, as our Bible verse tells us.

Of course we do not learn about God simply because of the work of people in our lives. God uses people to help us learn. As the meaning for the third article tells us we can do nothing by our own reason or strength. God choses special people to be teachers other workers in the church, then His Spirit gives people the power to do the work. This is how we all learn about what God’s word teaches us.

I got in some great bounce pass practice while I had my teachers working with me. Once they all left I was stuck alone. We have many good teachers at this school but some day we will need new ones. The world has many people who need to learn about Jesus. Sitting next to you might be someone who will grow up to be a teacher or a pastor. Turn to your neighbors and ask them if they are thinking of being a teacher of God’s word. How did you answer that question?

Watch your teachers and your pastor. Pay attention to what God helps them to do. You can practice teaching and serving the people in your class and in your family. You can be a missionary because God will help you tell others about him. Then, some day, when you grow up, you might be a teacher, or a coach, or a youth director, or a pastor.

KM