Sunday School Discussion

Every Sunday School the 'what abouts,' and 'think of this,' and 'yes but its seems' map a web of subtle course corrections creating what the lesson will be about. How is it possible this room of amateur gospel scholars can reconvene week after week without their disputes building into permanent multi-generational rifts? Rather, in just 45 minutes, agree? Personally I'm pained when the lesson goes wrong. I squirm. My hand pops up. I want to fix it. In that moment it wouldn't take much provocation to get me to fight, to storm off in a huff, to leave the church. Its serious business getting the lesson right. Then so very often a neutral "Okay" from the teacher pacifies me. It seems fine, dandy and normal at the time but now I look back and think its impossible such a meager bone could satisfy me. Mostly I simply forget, letting it fall away into the petty oblivion it belongs. But when do we actually put petty disputes of opinion into the oblivion they belong?

Its the Spirit! The Comforter, calming our minds. I'm slower to anger and quicker to forgive. So when the teacher says, "ok" as in "at least someone is participating" then I am ok, as in talked back down from the ceiling. Which lets me come back for more. The Spirit provides a buffer around the comments I say and hear. The process made easier by a group trying to bring the Spirit. When, in a huff, I decide to read the scriptures rather than hear the words I'm probably not being clever just prompted. So often I find something fascinating in the reading. I don't think I want discussions anywhere else, not safe. People say Sunday School is so pointless and why not rid ourselves of it. I think maybe not.