The sovereignty of God refers to the supremacy and primacy of God—God is above all, in all, and through all. God is the alpha and the omega, the beginning and the end. It is God who acts, and with gratitude we respond in worship, education, and service to the glory of God.

Scope and sequence of We Believe for children and older youth

Each year the scope and sequence of the curriculum begin with God as creator and initiator. God is the author and primary personality in the unfolding story of faith. The biblical stories reveal God’s continuous presence and consistent call to communion with God. The focus is on God and God’s acts of salvation throughout biblical history, culminating in the ultimate act of salvation through Jesus Christ, God’s Son and our savior. As the curriculum is consistent with the rhythm of the church year, the sessions of the curriculum present God’s incarnation and the birth of Jesus at Christmas and Jesus’ death and resurrection at Easter. In this way, students and teachers study and interact with Jesus’ life and ministry, death, and resurrection even as the church celebrates these events in worship. Through the epistles God calls us to faithful living in our new creation as followers of Christ. Each year the summer quarter provides a time to explore how Jesus’ command to go into the world and make disciples is being put into action locally and globally.

Lesson plan format
Each lesson plan is intentionally designed to follow the rhythm of our liturgy and to point to the sovereignty of God in all that we do. Worship and education are linked intrinsically by this cadence of faith. God calls us together, God speaks, we respond to God’s Word, God sends us out into the world: this is the pattern of our worship. It is also the movement of the lesson plan. We begin with “Assemble.” This is the gathering time. However, we understand ourselves to be called together by God. There are a reason and a purpose we gather. God calls us together to study God’s Word in community. God speaks to us through the biblical text, the Word of God. We open the Bible. We read from the Bible. We hear and study God’s Word–“Bible Study,” our second movement of the lesson plan. In studying God’s Word, we “Claim” it for ourselves. We respond and interact, examine and explore using all of our ways of learning (multiple intelligences) individually, and sharing with one another (cooperative learning). As we “Depart,” we don’t just leave the space. God sends us out into the world with God’s Word living in us. Educationally, we then “Evaluate” and look to the “Future” lesson. The alphabetical construct is a design to make the lesson plan simple, easy to follow, and easy to remember.

Fall Quarter 2003
As Presbyterians who believe in the sovereignty of God, it is important that our denominational curriculum both reflect that and teach that tenet of the Reformed faith. There are no big neon arrows pointing to this theological concept. However, upon examination of the content of the lessons, we can find the sovereignty of God to be an integral part of the language and intent of the sessions. The most obvious place to look in the lesson plan is in the Main Idea. An easy question to ask is, What is this lesson about? Is the lesson about God, who God is, and who God is in relationship to us? Is the focus on God?

In the fall quarter 2003, let’s look at the session about Joseph (children—session 4; older youth—session 6) as an example. In the Main Idea for both age groups the focus is on God. “God was with Joseph throughout his life; God is also with us” (older youth). Something to Remember in the children’s materials reminds us and the children, “Even though you intended to do harm to me, God intended it for good” (Gen. 50:20a). Children and older youth learn the story of Joseph, about his status as favorite son, his dreams, his slavery, and his eventual aid to his family and people. The idea that God is sovereign over all historical events is woven throughout the session. A special song written for the children, “God Will Use It for Good,” highlights God’s sovereignty, grace, and provision in this particular circumstance. One of the activities for the older youth is to create life maps in which the youth map out persons and events that have helped to shape their lives thus far. Then they ascertain God’s presence in these times or, in hindsight, God’s hand at work in their experiences. The message is clear in all age groups: God’s presence is steadfast and God’s sovereignty is sure.