The Gift of Teaching

The new Sunday school year begins this week. That means all sorts of organizational tasks have been happening, including the calling forth of teachers. The conversation that surrounds this often focuses on the person's perception that one must have all the answers to the hard questions otherwise he/she is not qualified to teach. I realized a long time ago that I am not responsible for another's answers. The real gift of teaching is to be free to risk the questions, to share our faith stories and to recognize that growth comes through the struggle. It seems that those teachers who have most influenced my life were not those who made the faith simple and easy to understand. The teachers who have encouraged me to struggle with the questions are the ones that have been the most effective. The answers come as we live in the Spirit, and hold each other in love. We, the learners, become empowered to define that which is meaningful in our lives and to identify with scripture. We are formed and transformed into disciples of Jesus Christ. As teachers and learners may this year be one of living into the questions.