May 22, 2005

Christian Education? Who Cares!

Psalm 78:1-8
Matthew 28:16-20
John 14:23-26

Christian education? - who cares! That's the attitude sometimes conveyed here and in many churches. The Director of Christian Education tries to recruit teachers, calls parents of church school children, and hears lots of excuses: "I haven't got the time," "I could never teach," "I've taught before - let someone else do it," and so on. She calls others in the church who don't have young children: "I'm not interested," "My children are all grown," "I taught years ago; I've done my time," and so on. The Director scratches her head and wonders, "who cares?"

The Christian Ed Board wonders why absentee rates are so high in classes; why it's so hard to find youth leaders; why so few parents are around when they are needed. And they ask, "Who cares?" Adult education programs are organized; sometimes even outside speakers are brought in; lay people and clergy spend hours of preparation time, and the number of people who show up is disappointing. Too often the message seems to be - Christian education? Who cares! I believe that God cares, and that all of us should also.

Why should we care about education in the church? Because, most simply stated, it's our responsibility. From the days of the early Hebrews, tales of God's power and the wonderful things God had done were passed on from generation to generation. Our Bible is the end product of this oral tradition. Teaching the next generation about God and God's ways, as the Psalmist explains, insured that their children and their children's children would also keep the faith, trust in God, follow God's commandments, and live responsibly. The teaching tradition continued throughout the history of Judaism, and continues, of course, to this day. The same can be said for the history of Christianity. We remember the story of Jesus as an adolescent, discussing points of faith with the elders in the temple. We remember how he passed on God's love to his followers, certainly by his actions, but also by his teachings - his parables, sermons, discourses. We heard today his last words to the disciples, a commission to evangelize the world: "Go, then, to all peoples everywhere and make them my disciples ... and teach them to obey everything I have commanded you."

Why should we care? Hopefully, because we love - we love God, we know that God loves us, and we want to share this love with others. We care, and respond, because of a feeling deep within that this is what we are supposed to do and this is what we want to do. In a rural section of the country a father died, leaving a family of eight children. The oldest son, not yet eighteen, went out to work to help support the family. Every week he turned his entire paycheck over to his mother. A friend of the family commended the boy, but he responded, "Don't give me credit for what I've got to do." The friend replied, "But you haven't got to do what you are doing." After a pause, the boy said, "Maybe you're right, but what about the 'got to' inside of me?" (i) We are all equipped with a "got to" inside of us that reminds us of the responsibilities and duties we have when we accept the call to be Christ's followers.

Why, then, do people avoid personal involvement in Christian education? Perhaps they've heard that teaching, for example, is hard, and that children sometimes misunderstand what teachers are teaching. Truth is, sometimes they do misunderstand. As they're driving home from church, Mom asks 10-year old Billy what he learned in Sunday School. Billy replies, "Well, our teacher told us about when God sent Moses behind the enemy lines to rescue the Israelites from Egypt. When they came to the Red Sea, Moses called for the army corps of engineers to build a pontoon bridge. After they'd all crossed over, they looked back and saw the enemy tanks following them. So, quick as a flash, Moses radioed headquarters to send bombers to blow up the bridge and save the Israelites." The skeptical mother responds, "Billy, is that really the way your teacher told the story?" "Well, not exactly. But if I told it her way, you'd never believe it." (ii)

Yes, sometimes teachers are misunderstood, sometimes it is hard, frustrating work, sometimes the results aren't obvious - but the rewards of teaching are many, and the pluses usually more than make up for the minuses. Whenever I have taught in the church, whether an elementary level church school class, a confirmation class for teenagers, a youth group, an adult faith exploration group, or a Bible study, I have felt that I got more out of the experience personally than what I gave. Most teachers, I think, would agree that this often happens to them.

Whenever we're in a teaching or leadership role in Christian education, we need to always remember that we're not alone. There are colleagues and professionals who can help us, resources to be drawn upon, a Board of dedicated people who will be supportive, and most important, our Lord, who does not leave us alone. Jesus promises, "I will be with you always ..." It is the working of the Holy Spirit in the Christian education experience that makes the critical difference. The Holy Spirit really is present. It's not just our thoughts and our words. God's Spirit is with us, guiding, directing, and helping us as we attempt to share our faith with others.

How then can we respond as the church and as individual members? We can respond first by providing the proper environment where teaching and learning can take place. If the purpose of Christian education is to remind all of us, men, women, and children, of our Christian identity and Christian destiny, to assure us that we are accepted as God's children, to help us to be lifted up to a better, more Christ-like life because of this knowledge, then this kind of education cannot be carried out in a vacuum. Christian education is not just a transmittal of facts; it's a sharing of faith that can only be done by folks who are caught up by the Spirit and committed to God's ways. And, Christian education can only flourish in a faith community grounded in what God has done, is doing, and will do for us in the future.

Parents have a special role in responding. We parents (and to a lesser extent, grandparents) are role models. Our youngsters learn about God and Jesus and the Bible in church school, but they look to their parents (primarily) for the in-the-home examples of day-to-day Christian living. The attitudes that we have toward spiritual matters will be mirrored in the attitudes of our children. Whether we are serious about our children's commitments to church school, or not, will also be reflected. If we don't care about their regular church school attendance, for example, they may not care about how they participate in church when they're older. If we take our own faith seriously, they will be more apt to take theirs seriously.

The entire congregation, not just parents, must respond by taking Christian education more seriously. I'd love it if a higher percentage of our adults participated in some way in our Christian education offerings, either as teachers, leaders, or consumers. Foremost, we must respond for our children's sake. If we who are adults truly love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, and mind, then we'll want to make sure that the church is here for our children so they can know and love God also. We all share in the responsibility. I believe that if we are part of a church where love and acceptance is contagious, a place where God is obviously loved, then Christian education will happen. Here in this church, as in all churches, we need many people to step forward - to teach our children, advise our youth, and lead our adults. We need many people to be supportive of those who have assumed these roles, to offer constructive suggestions, to be willing to assist. We need many people to take a leap of faith in themselves and in their own abilities, to participate in programs offered, to practice what they preach.

What if we don't respond? What if our collective attitude is "Christian education? Who cares!" It's probably not too much of an exaggeration to say "as goes the church school, so goes the church." If we are not effectively providing Christian education for our children and youth, then we put the health and vitality of the future of our church at great risk. It does no good to complain about inadequately trained teachers (and I think our teachers are well-prepared), or unexciting curricula (and wait until you see what's coming this fall - exciting will be an understatement for our new rotation model for our church school), or ineffective programs (and we're always on the look-out for new and better ones). If you see something you think needs to be changed, if you see a place where you can contribute, you need to do so now before it's too late.

The black activist and comedian, Dick Gregory, tells a poignant story from his childhood. He had a good day selling papers and shining shoes, and went into a restaurant to spend some of his earnings on a treat for himself. As he ate, an old wino came in, ordered 25 cents worth of food you surely wouldn't get much for a quarter these days - and he obviously enjoyed every mouthful. When it came time to pay the check, he admitted that he didn't have any money. Infuriated, the owner of the restaurant hit the old man, knocking him down, and as he lay there bleeding, the owner began to kick him. Finally, young Dick Gregory yelled out, "Leave him alone. I'll pay the 25 cents." The old man managed to pull himself up and said to the boy, "Keep your 25 cents, sonny. You don't have to pay; I just paid for it myself." As he stumbled toward the door, he stopped and said sadly, "Thanks, sonny, but it's too late now. Why didn't you respond earlier?" (iii)

"It's too late now; why didn't you respond earlier?" I hope none of us will ever have to hear anyone say these words to us. It's been suggested that every child is a first-generation Christian, because children must receive the faith within the context of family or church or they won't receive it at all. Likewise, we could also say that every generation is potentially the last generation of the Christian faith, for unless we recognize our responsibility to pass on the truths of the faith to the children of the next generation, there will be none to give. (iv) It's up to us - all of us. Who cares? We all must care. Amen.

The Pilgrim Church of Duxbury
Rev. Kenneth C. Landall

i Devotions for Teenagers, Pulpit Resource, 6/1/80.
ii Doran's Minister's Manual, '78, p. 256.
iii Pulpit Resource, 10/22/78.
iv Otto E. Sommer, Doran's Minister's Manual, '79, p. 200.