A Thought on Teaching #1

All,

Thank you so much for all that you do in preparing for and teaching your lessons so diligently each week. I hope that you can identify those things that work well in your classes and continue to use them. Please know that I am here for you as a resource for anything you might need for your class. I understand the importance of teaching the principles and doctrines found in our Sunday School lessons, and I know that the power to change lives is real as we teach by the Spirit. I wish that I could spend more time with each of you, discussing the principles of the lesson, thinking of ways to present those principles, and discussing ways to involve the members of your class! The more we think about our lessons and how we teach, the more we can improve and truly make Sunday School a great experience for those that attend.

In keeping with the scriptural pattern of giving “line upon line” (see Isa. 28:10, 13; 2 Ne. 28:30; D&C 98:12; D&C 128:21), I hope to regularly be able to share with you some of my thoughts about teaching through these “Thoughts on Teaching” emails. Please feel free to “reply all” and share with the group what you think or how you’ve tried to implement the principles shared, or to just let me know if there’s a particular principle or skill you think I should write about.

May we all learn and improve together as we strive to “teach diligently.”

Best,

Jeremy

A Thought on Teaching, No. 1

Repeated words and phrases in the Scriptures, among other things, can serve to emphasize a principle. President Henry B. Eyring taught, “When the words of prophets seem repetitive, that should rivet our attention and fill our hearts with gratitude” (“Finding Safety in Counsel,” Ensign, May 1997, 24). Identifying and pondering these scriptural repetitions has helped me to understand better what the prophets have taught.

One such phrase occurs early in the Gospel of John: come and see (see John 1:39. 46). As two disciples begin to follow Jesus, He asks them, “What seek ye?” Their response, “Master, where dwellest thou?” was met with the Savior’s invitation, “Come and see.” Later, Jesus finds Philip, who in turn seeks out Nathanael. To Nathanael’s concerned inquiry, “Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth?” Philip replies, “Come and see.”

Later, Jesus uses a similar phrase as he teaches among the Nephites. While challenging his disciples to “hold up [their] light,” He—as if answering the question that his disciples should ask about holding up their light—explains to them what that means. “Behold, I am the light which ye shall hold up—that which ye have seen me do” (3 Nephi 18:24). And what had He done? He had “prayed unto the Father,” and had “commanded that [we] should come unto [Him], that [we] might feel and see; even so shall [we] do unto the world” (3 Nephi 18:24-25).

Again, we see the call to come unto the Savior. But what was different in the invitation to the Nephites? He not only invited them to come and see, but also to feel. He bid them to learn with an invitation to participate, to experience.

In Daniel K. Judd’s recent General Conference talk about teaching, he related the following quote from Elder Holland: “Most people don’t come to church looking merely for a few new gospel facts or to see old friends, though all of that is important. They come seeking a spiritual experience. They want peace. They want their faith fortified and their hope renewed. They want, in short, to be nourished by the good word of God, to be strengthened by the powers of heaven. Those of us who are called upon to speak or teach or lead have an obligation to help provide that, as best we possibly can” (Jeffrey R. Holland, “A Teacher Come from God,” Ensign, May 1998, 26; quoted in Daniel K. Judd, “Nourished by the Good Word of God,” Ensign, Nov. 2007, 93, emphasis added).

I know that our classrooms can be such a place, where our members are nourished with grain and not with straw, and where truths of the Gospel are experienced, not just related or discussed. It is through the individuals’ experience with the Spirit that testimonies are strengthened and the flame of faith is fanned brighter.

Challenge: As you plan your next lesson, consider what you are going to teach, but then spend more time considering how you are going to teach it. Select a few principles from your scriptures block and then think, “What can I do to help my class have an experience?” rather than, “How can I get through all of this material?”

Remember, less can be far more if it provides opportunity for the Spirit of God to speak to the spirit of man. Gospel growth comes through experiences of the Spirit.

Suggested reading:
Daniel K. Judd, “Nourished by the Good Word of God,” Ensign, November 2007, 93