Working Notes
by
Sylvia Dooling
1. The author has raised some very good points that should be emphasized as
you teach this lesson. In particular note the following sentence on page 46:
‘In the church, every Sunday is Easter, a day of resurrection.”
The fact that we worship on Sunday (rather than on Saturday as did the Jews)
is a weekly reminder that we worship a risen Lord.
2. In the second paragraph on Page 46, the author refers to the church being
‘born” on Pentecost. While there is a sense in which it might be argued
that Pentecost is the birthday of the church, Reformed Christians usually
understand that the church began with Abraham through whom God chose a
people for himself and through whom he intended to bless the entire world.
The Scots’ Confession puts the church’s beginnings even earlier. The ‘Kirk
is catholic, that is, universal because it contains the chose of all ages,
of all realms, nations, and tongues, be they of the Jews or be they of the
Gentiles, who have communion and society with God the Father, and with his
son, Christ Jesus, through the sanctification of his Holy Spirit” (Book of
Confessions, 3.16). You also might want to look at Galatians 3: 3-12 as you
consider this matter.
3. The Wise Words section on Page 49 emphasizes I Corinthians 15. This is a
very important chapter, for in it Paul makes it absolutely clear what the
bodily resurrection of Jesus means for believers. In a sentence, no
resurrection, no Christianity. It would be ‘wise,” therefore, for you to
spend time discussing this great chapter. In fact at least in my humble
opinion a thoughtful discussion of the meaning of Christ’s resurrection
would be far more profitable than spending your time talking about the
importance of tears. As a matter of fact, you should have sufficient time to
spend on the Corinthian passage, AND to talk about the beatitude in Luke
6:21b ‘Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh.”
4. The author’s words are a wonderful conclusion to this lesson ‘The women
weep at the cross and at the tomb, but those tears soon turn to laughter and
joy. Jesus is alive! That’s what it’s all about. Sin is conquered! Death is
no more! Christ is risen, hallelujah! Dispense with the downcast faces, the
somber souls. Laugh, why don’t you! The world has been upended, and
everything as we know it is changed forever, because Christ is risen, Christ
is alive and so are we. So are we.”