Sunday School 2026–2027 Corinthians (High School)
General Notes
Lesson 1
Scripture 1 Corinthians 1.1–2 & 13.4–7
Paul, called by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and our brother Sosthenes,
To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Corinthians 1.1–2 (ESV)
Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. (ESV)
1 Corinthians 13.4–7
(While frequently used at weddings this passage is not about romantic love; not that there aren’t implications in a marriage.)
Key Questions
- Who is St Paul?
- What’s the deal with Corinth? (Its importance.)
- What does St Paul have to do with Corinth?
- What’s the deal with Corinth (Its problems.)
Vocab
- Apostle — one sent
- Catholicity — St Vincent of Lérins quote: “Moreover, in the Catholic Church itself, all possible care must be taken, that we hold that faith which has been believed everywhere, always, by all.” St Vincent of Lérins, Commonitory: Chapter 2
- Corinth — a city (show a map), give info on trade routes, the Isthmus of Corinth, the Δίολκος (Díolkos), and the Corinthian Canal
- Sanctified/Saints — set apart, holy
- Love (αγάπη) — selfless, sacrificial, unconditional
Opening Activity
Obscure Bible Characters:
- Bezaleel: do the kids remember him from the last lesson of last year? Also cross-reference with Consecration of a Church: Prayer on bended knees
Lesson
Part One
- Love Chapter
- St Paul’s relationship to Corinth
- Others from Corinth
- Ss Priscilla & Aquilla
- St Silas
- St Timothy
- Apostle
- Acts 1, while St Matthais replaces Judas the Betrayer, St Paul is remembered in the Church as God’s replacement for him. (See hymnography and iconography [even the icons of the Ascension and Pentecost].)
- Description of St Paul Acts of Ss Paul and Thecla
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And he [Onesiphorous] went along the road to Lystra, and stood waiting for him, and kept looking at the passers by according to the description of Titus. And he saw Paul coming, a man small in size, bald-headed, bandy-legged, well-built [or healthy], with eyebrows meeting, rather long-nosed [Wilson/Schneemelcher’s translation has “nose somewhat hooked”], full of grace. For sometimes he seemed like a man, and sometimes he had the countenance of an angel.
- HT: The Lord of Spirits: Let Me Acts You Something
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- Corinth: 200K pop. immoral
Part Two
- Comparison of Corinth and USA
- How to keep the faith?
- Read 1 Cor 1.1–2
Closing
- maps
- worksheet?
Lesson 2
Lesson 3
References/Links
Autochthonic
Allochthonic