John Chrysostom ( )

Transcription

1 Davidson College Presbyterian Church Davidson, North Carolina Lib McGregor Simmons, Pastor Luke 4: 14-21; Deuteronomy 6:1-9, This Then is Our Task Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time August 25, 2013 Tomorrow the wheels on the yellow school buses will begin going round and round all through our towns. Tomorrow the campus outside our front door will be humming with the energy that comes with the first day of classes at Davidson College. It is fitting then that today we read passages from the Bible which address teaching and learning. We began our worship this morning with the poetry of the Psalmist which describes the precepts of the Lord as being more desired than the purest gold and sweeter than the sweetest honey. Our New Testament lesson gave us Luke s description of Jesus first act of ministry, that is, the ministry of teaching, in the synagogue. Just two chapters earlier in Luke, Jesus, as a twelve-year-old, had been sitting at the feet of the teachers in the temple. Now he is a teacher opening up the meaning of the prophet Isaiah. Now we turn to the Old Testament book of Deuteronomy. You will recall from our summer series on the Ten Commandments that one version of the Decalogue appears in Deuteronomy 5. So then, the first verses of Deuteronomy 6 give an overarching summary of this teaching that is at the heart of the Jewish and Christian faith traditions. As the reading continues, listen especially for references to the children who are the next generation. ************************************************************************************* On the front of today s bulletin you will find words written by St. John Chrysostom. I invite you to join your voices together in reading these words aloud. When we teach our children to be good, to be gentle, to be forgiving (all these are attributes of God), to be generous, to love their fellow human beings, to regard this present age as nothing, we instill virtue in their souls, and reveal the image of God within them. This then is our task: to educate both our children and ourselves in godliness. John Chrysostom ( ) 1

2 Now some of you may be asking the question, Who in the world is John Chrystostom? The short answer is that John Chrysostom was the Archbishop of Constantinople who was appointed in the year 397. From what I know about him, he was a lot like the present Pope Francis. He was known for refusing to host lavish parties for the rich as archbishops were expected to do apparently. He was known for his deep concern for the poor. He was known for his great homilies which interpreted the Bible in practical ways. Through the years, I have been drawn to John Chrysostom for these reasons, and as we begin a new church school year at Davidson College Presbyterian Church, a new year at the DCPC Weekday Preschool a few days from now, and a new school year at Davidson College and in our area schools, I have been drawn to his words words both poetic and practical about the task of education for Christians. This then is our task, John wrote, to educate both our children and ourselves in godliness. And so let us attend to how Scripture speaks to us about the task of educating ourselves and our children in godliness. Let us attend, first, to how Scripture speaks to those of us who are adults. Second, a word to those of you who are students. Third, a word to those of you who are teachers. (And, of course, the categories aren t exclusive. Lots of you identify yourself as a member of more than one of these categories. And for those of you who don t, eavesdropping is highly encouraged!) First, a word for the adults among us about our role in education. One of the primary characteristics of the book of Deuteronomy is its concern about the next generation. In today s reading, as throughout the entire book of Deuteronomy, there are a number of references to children. I love the way that Old Testament scholar Pat Miller describes the task of education according to Deuteronomy 6. The picture is that of a family continually in lively conversation about the meaning of their experience with God and God s expectations of them. (1) It is a picture of adults listening attentively when your child, your grandchild, your stepchild, the college student who sits across the picnic table from you today asks Why? and then responding by telling a story. In Deuteronomy when the children ask, Why do we keep the commandments, the adults are to tell a story that begins, we were slaves in Egypt, but God brought us out. By telling God s story and their story in a lively and personal way, these stories merged in order to create a memory for the new generation who were not there so that they would receive as real what they themselves did not experience and be gifted with a foundation for their present and future lives and conduct. (2) And so it is to be with us. As I listen to John Chrysostom s counsel to adults to educate ourselves in godliness, I am reminded of the safety instructions that flight attendants mouth before takeoff, In the event that the oxygen level in the main cabin becomes unstable, oxygen masks will drop down in front of you. Take the mask and secure it with the elastic band and breathe through your mask normally. Adults should make sure their masks are on first before assisting children or other passengers. Our first task as adults is to educate ourselves in godliness. 2

3 And here is where the preacher spiel comes: DCPC offers all kinds of opportunities for you intentionally to engage your minds, hearts, and wills in the story of Jesus. There are classes on Sunday mornings, men s groups on Tuesday and Friday mornings, the Shalom group which meets on Monday mornings, Gathering Around the Word on Wednesday evenings, circles for men and women at all times of the week, Westminster for college students, and a young adults study. In taking the words of Deuteronomy and John Chrysostom to heart, your job as an adult is not just to get your children, grandchildren, and stepchildren here but to get yourself here in order to be educated in godliness. So far, I have spoken of what we traditionally call Christian education. But the calling for people of faith is far greater. The words of Deuteronomy were written not just for a family, not just for a family of faith, but for an entire nation. And for us, in a way that is different from our ancestors for whom the words of Deuteronomy were written, this involves our approach to public education in a pluralistic culture. Education for all has always been a hallmark of the Reformed tradition in which Presbyterians stand. At the very earliest meeting of the General Council in John Calvin s Geneva in 1536, which abolished the mass and established the Reformation in that city, the Council established schools, opened them at no expense to the poor of the city, and made attendance compulsory. John Knox, taking his cue from his teacher John Calvin, was a proponent in providing universal education, regardless of social class, for the Scottish populace. Both rich and poor were to study reading and grammar, the arts, philosophy, and languages. And in this country, while many faith traditions quickly established parochial education in the Colonies, Presbyterians generally eschewed that avenue and worked tirelessly to establish and support public education.(3) And so, our calling, particularly as Presbyterian Christians, is to do everything that is humanly possible to keep public education strong in our nation. Some of you will do as my octogenarian father has done. When my father retired from dairy farming and if there is anyone who had earned a leisurely retirement it was Sam McGregor who had been driving tractors since he was 12 and milking cows since he was in elementary school and when he graduated from Clemson at the age of 19 went home to milk cows at 4 a.m. and 3 p.m. 365 days each year and drive tractors and fix broken parts on tractors, oh, and did I mention that he served as a faithful elder in his church and as the chairman of the School Board in Columbia, South Carolina, in his spare time if there was ever anyone who deserved a leisurely retirement, it was he. But what did he do? Education for the future generations was so important for him that he immediately signed up to volunteer two days a week in two local elementary schools: one day each week at Annie B. Burnside Elementary School which had been named after his first grade teacher and one day each week at Horrell Hill Elementary School where all five of his children had attended, both schools where the vast majority of students come from families which live below the poverty line. Not all of us have the gifts with children that my Daddy does or my Aunt Jane who is also in her eighties and as an extension of her lifetime career as a children s librarian volunteers as a mentor in the public schools where her retirement community is located. But we all have a contribution to make to the public schools of our 3

4 community, because as noted in Deuteronomy, children are our nation s future, just as the children of Israel were the future. Good education is not cheap, but an uneducated citizenry will cost us far more. Now, a word to those of you who are students. The passage from Deuteronomy highlights the question that the young ask of the old. What is that? Why? Why do I? That is your job. To keep asking the questions. Your job is not to ask the questions so that you can answer some questions on some heavenly test. That isn t what life and faith are all about. I think of Jesus as a twelve-year-old with the teachers in the temple. I imagine him asking question after question after question of those teachers. And I can only imagine that when the day was over and those teachers went home and were relaxing at home after dinner, they realized that they had not only fulfilled their calling as teachers that day, but that they had learned a lot too. In an authentic learning experience, all participants have the opportunity to share insights and create knowledge through the interaction that takes place. (4) Students, every question that you ask, every what is that?, every why? or why do I?, is a good question. Keep asking them, for in the asking of your questions, you are fulfilling the calling of God to create knowledge. Finally, a word to the teachers. At Gathering Around the Word on Wednesday, I told the group that my deepest hope and prayer for my sermon today is that every teacher who is present in worship today or who is hearing this sermon on WDAV would feel surrounded by the grace of God and empowered to do the important and oh so challenging work that you do every day. Your job, while it may be to teach math or English or science is ultimately to, as John Chrysostom wrote so beautifully, reveal the image of God within them. And so, on those days when those of you who are teachers ask, Why?, Why do I?, here is a story which merges God s story and your teacher story to answer the question and embolden you in your work. It is the story of Heather Dobbins. Heather was 38 years old when she died tragically in a tubing accident on August 3. She was an active member at Allison Creek Presbyterian Church in York County where my brother Sam McGregor is the pastor, and she was the English as a Second Language teacher at Richmond Drive Elementary School in Rock Hill where my three nieces and nephews attended. Rock Hill Herald writer Andrew Dys wrote about her memorial service which had to be held in the auditorium at South Pointe High School because neither the sanctuary at Allison Creek nor the auditorium at Richmond Drive was close to being large enough to contain those who wished to attend. Andrew Dys interviewed some of Heather s former students. I had her starting in kindergarten, said 13-year-old Daniel Sandovar. She paid for my Challenger [the after-school program where kids get extra help and supervision until parents who work late can get home]. She gave me a bicycle. She took care of me. She loved me. 4

5 He talked to Diego Ugalde, age 17, and his brother Cesar at age 19. Both speak terrific English, almost unaccented. When they and their parents came from Mexico, they knew not a single word of English. Now they are ready to find college and American greatness because of Heather Dobbins. Mrs. Dobbins was like a second mother to us, said Diego Ugalde. She gave us our futures. Cesar, called Dobbins the greatest teacher in the world. The father and mother, Raul and Teresa Ugalde, could not say enough of Heather Dobbins who taught their children English. And math. And reading. And walked their children home, and gave them rides. What Heather Dobbins gave the Ugalde family was hope, Andrew Dys concluded. There is a professional soccer player for the Real Salt Lake team in Utah who starred for the UNC Tar Heels and Northwestern High School Trojans before that named Enzo Martinez. Enzo started at Richmond Drive in fourth grade, straight from Uruguay, and he was frozen with fear. The week before her death, Heather Dobbins traveled to Salt Lake to watch the college graduate man, who started in her class a child without English, be at the top of his field in America. At N.C. State University there is a star soccer player named Alex Martinez, younger brother to Enzo. In the third grade he walked in that first day at Richmond Drive with his brother not knowing one word of English. He was terrified. Me, my brother, my family, we would not have succeeded in America without Mrs. Dobbins, Alex Martinez said by phone. She was a second mother. She was for so many people the person who helped them become who they are. I am one of them. I owe her so much. (5) And so teachers, students, adults go forth. Go forth into the new school year in the strength and power of our God, surrounded by the Spirit s love and grace. 1. Patrick D. Miller, Deuteronomy (Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 1990), Ibid., James H. Smylie, Educating the Public: Reformed History, Commitments, and Strategies. 4. Minori Nagahara, Schools in a Pluralist Culture: Teaching as a Christian Vocation, Christian Reflection, The Center for Christian Ethics at Baylor University, 2009, Andrew Dys, English as second language teacher who drowned changed lives of immigrant kids, Rock Hill Herald, August 10,