In the world of education, learning outcomes are statements of what students will learn in a lesson. The statements are focused on student learning (What will students learn today?) rather than instructor teaching (What am I going to teach today?). The idea is that there is a difference between what is taught and what is learned, which is certainly true.

The problem I have with issuing learning outcomes in a confident manner that can seem almost arrogant is that learning is not quite as straightforward as we often think it is. Learning is not simply a matter of listening to a teacher and doing what the teacher says. There has to be a process of understanding, grasping, analysing, remembering and, ultimately, ‘getting it’ for true learning to take place. That does not happen for everyone at the same pace or in the same way. It’s not always the teacher’s fault if the student does not ‘learn’ something; it’s not always the student’s fault if it takes longer than one lesson to grasp a truth.

Jesus taught His disciples for over three years, and it’s fairly safe to say that as He was arrested and crucified, they were not much closer to ‘getting it’ than they had been at the start. They were, He said to the disciples on the road to Emmaus after the resurrection, ‘foolish… and slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken.’ (Luke 24:25) They were, in essence, proof that there are many difficulties in ‘getting it’.

I’m sure that Jesus’s teaching methods would not have gained the approval of OFSTED, for if we read John 13-16, we see conversation and action that did not clarify and illuminate as clearly as inspectors would like! Jesus used parables to draw people into the story of God; He left them asking questions, not always sure of the answers. He taught, Eugene Peterson says, in ways that reflected ‘the indirections inherent in revelation and the unforced intimacies of love.’ (‘Tell It Slant’, P 214) When we read the disciples’ questions and confusion, it seems not much learning was going on at all.

And yet later, after the resurrection and the baptism in the Holy Spirit, when the Comforter and Advocate was there to remind them of all Jesus had taught and to bring to mind all that had happened, it seems the lessons had finally been well absorbed. Peter’s sermon on the Day of Pentecost understood the connections between Old Testament prophecy and its fulfilment in Christ in ways that would have been unthinkable months earlier. Paul’s letters show a thorough integration of understanding, connecting the dots of the Old Testament in ways that continue to open our eyes today.

We may well feel our learning is sporadic, patchy, not particularly coherent. We may well feel that there is so much we don’t understand yet and wonder if progress will ever be made. Take heart. The learning outcomes might not be achieved in one lesson, but we have a lifetime of lessons to assimilate all God wants to teach us. Jesus is not in the same hurry that teachers often are; we’re not working to a deadline of external examinations. The work God has started will be brought to completion by Him (Phil 1:6), but if our learning happens in fits and starts, that’s not a problem for God.

After chastising a child, a parent often asks ‘Have you learnt your lesson, then?’ Some lessons are harder to learn than others, but as long as we stay close to Jesus, learning will take place. The outcome is thankfully, in this case, secure. One day, we will be like Him. (1 Jn 3:1-3)

Diane read a poem by Rev. Dean Beaty during the service last night:

‘Since Christ turns water into wine,

Why do I worry, or why whine?

I know He’ll meet my every need,

Beyond my wildest dreams exceed.

This is the problem that I face:

I take my eyes off from His grace.

I focus on what I have not,

Forgetting all that I have got.

My wealth in Christ beyond compare,

And there’s my future with Him there.

When I think of all I’ve lost,

I then reflect on what it cost.

I’ve lost my sin with all its shame,

By simply calling on His name.

I gained eternal life above,

Made one with Christ through Jesus’ love.’

Beyond my wildest dreams there’s more:

When I arrive on heaven’s shore,

I’ll see my Saviour face to face,

And thank Him for His love and grace.’

Regular readers will remember chilli-growing sagas from the past: how Stephen grew chillies (from Mummy, Daddy and Runty plants) and we ate their chillies with gusto! In his recent gardening ventures, he has mainly concentrated on growing tomatoes (hence the plethora of chutneys being made using tomatoes for various Christmas markets, this one being tomato & courgette chutney):

However, he has also grown some chillies and since the service tonight had a harvest theme, part of the challenges was for team members to eat these without visible reactions. (Stephen’s own reactions were quite extreme when he ate them: they are pretty hot! To be clear, however, he did eat a whole chilli: we only had to eat a slice of one!)

Here are some photos of our stoical expressions…

We had a number of birthdays to celebrate tonight!

Stephen and Stacey provided us with quizzes about fruit and vegetables. Stacey’s quiz involved recognising these pictures:

(Romanesco, dragon fruit, Buddha’s hands and beetroot…)

Stephen’s quiz tested our knowledge of when fruit and vegetables are harvested (surprisingly difficult in this day and age, when so much is imported throughout the year!) However, we did know that tomatoes are usually harvested in September, as we’ve been making chutney this month to sell for the Christmas markets!

It’s very easy for us to take our food for granted. Supermarkets offer us a wide choice of foods and there are many opportunities to buy from markets and even to buy exotic foods online. We need constantly to remind ourselves of God’s provision and to thank Him for this. His overflowing generosity is our daily experience.

Tonight’s family service was a rather unconventional harvest festival! Mark spoke on the subject of God’s provision and our thankfulness from Matt 6:25-34. There, we see that God promises to provide for all our needs (see also Phil 4:19), not just in food and clothing. Jesus reassures us that we do not need to worry, because God’s provision and power are evident in nature (beautifully clothed flowers and birds whose needs are met by God) and we are far more valuable than these.

Worrying achieves nothing (except possibly magnifying the problems in our minds as we envisage all the ‘mights’ and ‘coulds’ which so often do not materialise.) We can rest in the secure knowledge that God knows what we need and loves us so much that He does something about it! Worry distracts us from God, but God is ever mindful of all our needs. Thankfulness is our response to God’s provision and power.

Diane’s testimony at the end of the service also reminded us how much God cares for us as individuals. In 1996, just before the birth of their third child, Mark was made redundant, and this period was difficult financially for them as a family. Nonetheless, as they learned to trust God for their everyday basic needs, they found they never went hungry and God’s provision and faithfulness upheld them. Sometimes, in the depths of winter, it feels like spring will never come, but God sends us signs of hope to remind us that there is light at the end of the tunnel. His love carries us through and His provision never fails.