The CCLE Resource Guide

2011-12-01T09:14:00.001-08:00

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A Reformation Sermon on Christian Education

2011-10-31T17:55:00.000-07:00

The Rev. Paul J Cain, Jr.

Matthew 23:1-12

Christian Education

Proper 26A, 30 October 2011

Reformation Sunday

Immanuel Lutheran Church, Sheridan, Wyoming

In the Name ofJesus. Amen.

AsReformation Day nears on the calendar, my heart and mind turn to reform in theChurch. We are Lutheran Christians, spiritual heirs of the 16^thCentury Reformation of the Christian Church. Christians are always in need ofrepentance. The Church, from a local congregation, to a regional group ofcongregations, a church body or denomination, or Christianity as a whole, isalways in need of reform.

Idon’t mean “social justice.” There are always wrongs to be righted and amplereason for righteous anger to be channeled as passion for helping the aged,unborn, poor, and oppressed, but God’s justice is discovered in what Scripturesays, not a sinful heart, a social fad, or what some group determines to bepopular or “politically correct.”

Psalm51 shows humble submission to God’s Word, heartfelt and mindful repentance andamendment of life, and faith in the only One who can or could have mercy, blotout transgressions, wash from iniquity, and cleanse from sin: “Create in me aclean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away fromyour presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy ofyour salvation and uphold me with a willing spirit.” (Psalm 51:10-12 ESV)

TheChurch of Christ Jesus always has need of the same kind of humble submission toHoly Scripture, repentant and honest scholarship, and willingness to admit andcorrect false teaching and sin. This is done for the sake of the Gospel ofChrist, He who creates in us that clean heart, right spirit, salvation, andeternal joy through His sacrificial Calvary death and victorious Resurrection.

Wheredo today’s Christians, congregations, and denominations need reform? I wouldsuggest that we look to the past for answers. No, no one really sees a modernproblem with “selling forgiveness,” but some media ministries get very close.One of the historic errors within Christendom was reliance on human wisdom,power, authority, or “doctrine” over and against what the Bible says. Everysermon, Bible study, devotion, book, show, movie, or website that claims to beChristian should be subject to rigorous Biblical scrutiny by Christians beforeit is shared with the world at large. Teachers and teachings that contradictthe clear and in-context text of Scripture should be admonished and correctedfor the sake of the Gospel.

Onegood occasion for repentance is listening to Jesus’ teaching about teachers inMatthew 23:

ThenJesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, ²“The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’seat, ³so do andobserve whatever they tell you, but not the works they do. For they preach, butdo not practice. ⁴Theytie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people’s shoulders, butthey themselves are not willing to move them with their finger. ⁵They do all theirdeeds to be seen by others. For they make their phylacteries broad and theirfringes long, ⁶andthey love the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues ⁷and greetings in themarketplaces and being called rabbi by others. ⁸But you are not to be called rabbi, for you haveone teacher, and you are all brothers. ⁹Andcall no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven. ¹⁰Neither be calledinstructors, for you have one instructor, the Christ. ¹¹The greatest among you shall be your servant. ¹²Whoever exaltshimself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

HeedChrist’s call to following what God’s Word says, to practicing what we preach.He calls for Biblically-informed, passionate, and faith-filled teaching andpractice at home, church, and school.

ChristianEducation has always been important to Lutheran Christians.

· Immanuelhad a school before! In the 1920’s, Pastor Her, (1919-1927) taught Christianday school classes in the upstairs of the parsonage on Park Street.
· Inthe history of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, there were more schools thancongregations in our church body from the 1870s through the early 1900’s.
· Whenthe LCMS was first founded in 1847, there were sixteen original Lutherancongregations and fourteen original Lutheran schools.
· Whydid the Saxon Lutherans leave Germany? We know there problems with unionism andsyncretism, but recent scholarship shows that they were more concerned with thesad state of German schools than even the theological problems of the statechurch. In particular, they were troubled by the fact that what was taught inthe state schools contradicted the Christian faith that was taught at home andat Church.
· Lutheranslike Johann Sturm, Phillip Melanchthon, and Martin Luther revived classicaleducation in their day, founding a proper education on Christ and His Gospel,but also advocating for education for all, including girls and peasants, and afree public Christian education paid for by the state, especially if the headof state was a Christian prince.
· TheJesuits, formed by the Roman Church as a response to the Reformation, famousyet today for their rigorous quality education institutions, patterned theirschools and curricula after Lutheran models.
· Today,the LCMS is blessed with two seminaries, ten universities and colleges, morethan 2,300 early childhood centers and preschools operated by congregations andChristian day schools within The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Morethan 129,000 children, ranging in age from infant/toddler to five years of age,are involved in these programs. Additionally, our congregations operate945 elementary schools which serve 107,000 students.
· MartinLuther Grammar School was accredited this summer by The Consortium forClassical and Lutheran Education. Both Mount Hope, Casper, and Trinity,Riverton, will have accreditation visits next week. Three other schools are inthe CCLE accreditation process, accreditation soon to be recognized asexemplary by the Synod.

Christianeducation is important to Lutherans. And it all begins with the FourthCommandment.

Theeditors of the new reader’s edition of the Book of Concord, Concordia; The Lutheran Confessions,provide a very helpful introduction to the Fourth Commandment in Luther’s LargeCatechism:

Commandments four through ten describerelationships with our fellow humans. Here Luther’s understanding of “vocation”is apparent. Vocation comes from the Latin vocare,meaning “to call.” God calls everyone to certain roles, or stations, in life.In this commandment, Luther describes our duty before God to honor father andmother, that is, to respect authority. God instituted all forms of authority asan extension of parental authority, for our good. There are various parentalauthorities, or “fathers,” in our lives, including pastors, teachers, andgovernment officials. Another insight by Luther is about the life of good worksto which Christians are called. We should not regard “Church work” as more holythan the other things in life that we routinely do. Rather, all callings andstations in life serve God and are opportunities for us to obey God’scommandments and to serve our neighbor. The key observation Luther offers isthis: faith is what makes a person holy. Faith alone. Good works serve God byserving other people.^{^[1]}End quote.

As a congregation thatsponsors a Christian school, sometimes we need to state and restate theobvious: parents are given to be the first teachers of their own children.Parents are to have primary authority and choice over the raising of their ownchildren, not the state. Yes, parents are given to feed, clothe, shelter, andeducate their children, but the most important education a parent can give isthe discipline and instruction of the Lord.

Paul teaches this inEphesians 6: 1-4: Children, obey your parents in theLord, for this is right. ²“Honoryour father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise), ³“that it may go wellwith you and that you may live long in the land.” ⁴Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger,but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

This is an important and divineresponsibility. Education in this life prepares one for family, work, andleisure. Christian education is a preparation for this life AND the life tocome. As you consider the education of your children or grandchildren, or ifyou are still thinking about your own education, ask yourself this about anyeducational opportunity or choice: “Will this school, teacher, or careerencourage my faith in Christ, or destroy or discourage my faith in Christ?”

Luther’s day had problems much like ourown. He says as much in this paragraph from the Fourth Commandment in his LargeCatechism:

¹⁷⁰Here again the sad plight arises that no one sees or hears this truth. All liveon as though God gave us children for our pleasure or amusement and servants sothat we could use them like a cow or [a donkey], only for work. Or they live asthough we were only to gratify our lewd behavior with our subjects, ignoringthem, as though we have no concern for what they learn or how they live. ¹⁷¹ No one is willing to seethat this is the command of the Supreme Majesty, who will most strictly call usto account and punish us for it. Nor does anyone see that there is so much needto be seriously concerned about the young. ¹⁷²For if we wish to have excellent and able persons both for civil and Churchleadership, we must spare no diligence, time, or cost in teaching and educatingour children, so that they may serve God and the world. ¹⁷³ We must not think only about how we may amass moneyand possessions for them. God can indeed support and make them rich without us,as He daily does. But for this purpose He has given us children and issued thiscommand: we should train and govern them according to His will. Otherwise, Hewould have no purpose for a father and a mother. ¹⁷⁴ Therefore, let everyone know that it is his duty, onperil of losing the divine favor, to bring up his children in the fear andknowledge of God above all things [Proverbs 1:7]. And if the children aretalented, have them learn and study something. Then they may be hired forwhatever need there is.^{^[2]}End quote.

What did Luther say before? “….we mustspare no diligence, time, or cost in teaching and educating our children, sothat they may serve God and the world.” Amen. God strengthen our courage us tothat end.

We have need in Sheridan,Wyoming, and the United States for faithful Lutheran Christians in every godlyvocation, from husbands and wives as parents, to laborers, educators, andpublic servants. There will always be a need for faithful men to heed the callto the Office of the Holy Ministry.

CPH: The everlasting Gospelproclaims to us God as our refuge, our mighty fortress. The alternative is totry to make yourself a fortress—not a smart idea. We are safe inside therighteousness of Christ; neither Satan nor sin will be able to conquer us or dous harm. This righteousness is a sheer gift, bestowed on us by Him whose Wordof truth frees us from all attempts to justify ourselves.

Dealing with sin is not a matter of training, discipline, oreducation. If you train a sinner, you get a trained sinner. Discipline a sinnerand the result is a disciplined sinner. Educate a sinner, and you get aneducated sinner. A sinner forgiven in Christ is still a sinner, but that sinneris now also a saint. Training, discipline, and education cannot accomplishthat! Only Jesus’ love can! Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgivingone another, as God in Christ forgave you.

Reformation Day is a timeto mourn the sad divisions within Christendom, caused by sinful rejections ofGod’s Word. Yet, we also rejoice that the Lord still today preserves a faithfulremnant, no matter how much the devil, the world, and even our own sinful fleshwould oppose the true preaching and teaching of God’s Word.

Whileit is true that Jesus prays “that they all [all Christians] may be one” (John17:21a), it is just as true that Jesus asserts in the same prayer, “Sanctifythem in the truth; Your word is truth” (John 17:17). This is the same plea St.Paul makes in 1 Corinthians: “I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of ourLord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions amongyou, but that united in the same mind and the same judgment.” (1:10)

That,too, is my prayer. I don’t want to “agree to disagree” or paper over or ignoredoctrinal differences between Christian traditions. Let’s honestly talk aboutthem and then measure all teaching by the standard of Holy Scripture. Can wereject mere “people pleasing” (Galatians 1) and stand for the content of theChristian faith once delivered to the saints (Jude 1:3)? Are we doomed to fallaway from what God’s Word actually says and follow false teachers who tell us“what it really means”?

Instead,let us honor Luther and Walther and our spiritual fathers and mothers in thefaith across all time and space by submitting, in humble faith, to our One trueRabbi, Teacher, and Instructor, Jesus, the Christ, and the Eternal Word of OurFather who art in Heaven. Happy Reformation Sunday. Amen.

In the Name of Jesus. Amen.

^{^[1]}Concordia : The Lutheran Confessions.2005 (Edited by Paul Timothy McCain) (370). St. Louis, MO: Concordia PublishingHouse.

^{^[2]}Concordia : The Lutheran Confessions.2005 (Edited by Paul Timothy McCain) (378). St. Louis, MO: Concordia PublishingHouse.

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