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February 17, 2008
Scripture: Psalm 78: 1-8
Title: "WELCOME - Education"

Today, we continue with our sermon series based on our mission statement of Welcome with Education. As I was preparing for this sermon, I came across a statement that made me stop and pause: “It is true in every era that the faith of the people of God is only one generation from extinction.” Take a moment and think about that. The faith of the people of God is only one generation from extinction.

For the most part, many of us were brought up in the church. Many of us remember going to Sunday School and learning the stories of Noah, of Adam and Eve, of Jesus healing the blind man. Many of us remember going to Vacation Bible School and singing funny little songs to help us remember Bible verses. Many of us remember going to summer camps where we experiences God’s love through the community there and through God’s creation.

We were educated in the faith. We were raised on the stories of God’s saving acts. We were educated at church.

Now think about this: Where is the next generation? Are our children at church? Are our children’s children at church? Will our children’s children’s children be in church?

“It is true that in every era that the faith of the people of God is only one generation from extinction.”

That statement makes us stop and think. That statement gives us a moment of concern. That statement highlights the importance of education as a part of our mission of WELCOME.

That statement is exactly what the author of our Scripture is hoping to prevent from happening. “Give ear to my teaching. I will open my mount in a parable. I will utter dark sayings from of old, things that we have heard and known, that our ancestors have told us.”

The psalmist takes on the role of a teacher and hopes that the instruction that he gives will “ground the members of the community in the ancient conviction that they are a part of a coherent, responsible, covenantal existence.” The psalmist wants to tell the old, old story to a new generation so that they will understand that they are a part of something more, that they are a part of community that is called to be the people of God, that they will be inspired and share the passion that fills this community of God.

The psalmist wants to nurture the faith and prevent the faith of the people of God from experiencing extinction.

The purpose of the psalmist teaching is to show the next generation and to remind this generation that we should ground our hope in God. Each and every time, we share the old, old story that is filled with God’s saving acts, we are remind that God has acted in the past. And each time we hear the old, old story, we are called to hold on to the promises that God will act again in the present and in the future. The hope that we hold to is no a “generic confidences or optimism. The hope that we hold to is grounded in our God who has done amazing things in all of our lives, who commands the heavens and the earth, who hold us in the palm of God’s hand.”

The psalmist once again shares with his readers the old old story: The Good, the bad, and the ugly. The psalmist shares the times when the people didn’t listen to God and what happened. The psalmist shares the miracles that God did in the presence of their ancestors. The psalmist shares the times when the people did listen to God and how God blessed them. Psalm 78 goes on and on for about 72 verses, telling the old, old, story: The Good, The Bad, and the ugly.

“The goal of this teaching is not merely information but the formation of believers into the people of God.” The psalmist understands that “we enter into a new world through our connectedness with God that will foster a new set of behavior and attitude toward life.” Through teaching, through education of the faith, we become the people of God.

Now the psalmist gives us a word of caution. The psalmist wants us to understand that just because we have the knowledge of the story does not mean that we will be faithful. What the psalmist wants us to understand that this story, the Good, the Bad, and the ugly is a beginning, a foundation for faith, for hope, for life.

As we continue to hear the story of God’s continued saving acts, we began to internalize the story. We began to gain the language of faith that we need to articulate our faith, to express our thoughts and desires about God, and to grow in our relationship with God. And as we grow in our relationship with God, we experience true WELCOME!!

God welcomes us to enter into the story, to internalize the words, to become part of something more. God welcomes to have a conversations with the characters of the past and to hear how God changed their lives. God welcomes us to enter into the story of salvation as we grow in our relationship with God and with one another.

And we experience this welcome through the congregation which serves as a tool for teaching, “through both formal and informal instruction and mentoring. People learn the faith through worship, through prayers, by giving offering, by hearing sermons, and through study.

Adults and youth learn the old, old story and experience faith as they ride to mission projects together. Parents and children learn the old, old story and experience faith as they talk about what is going on in the church and why we do the things that we do. Adults and children learn the old, old story and experience the faith as we break bread together.

Education is more than one teacher and one class, talking. Education is about living and embodying the faith. And that is what the psalmist is inviting us to hear today: Hear these words. Internalize these words: The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly. This is the story of God and God’s people. Let these words shape you. Let these words fill you. Let these words guide you. Let these words welcome you as you grow in your relationship with God.

Let these words tell you a story… and the storybook is our Bible. It tells us where we have come from and it is a portrait of who we have been called to be. The Bible is a two way mirror “reflecting the humanity in God and the God in humanity.”

Ask any kid how their story books begin and they will say: “Once upon a time.” If you ask them what their books are about, they will say that they are about good and evil. They will say that they tell you right from wrong. And the children will know how the storybook is supposed to end: “And they lived happily ever after.”

Ask a person of faith how their tale starts and they will say: “In the beginning, when God created the heavens and the earth,” Ask a person of faith what their tale is about and they will say it is about good verses evil , that it is about right and wrong, it is about living in community with each other. Ask a person of faith how their tale ends and they will say: “the grace of the Lord Jesus be with all the saints. Amen”

Or in less technical terms: God loves me! God welcomes me and nothing can separate me from God’s grace and God’s peace!

It may not be the happily ever after found in children’s books where the princess finds her prince, where they lived in a kingdom far far away. And it may not be that life will always be rainbows and sunshine.

Our story, our old, old, story, is so much more. The happily ever after that we are given by God is filled with a peace that passes all understanding, that is filled with a love that is unconditional, that is filled with a security that money cannot buy.

This happily ever after is given to us by God as God welcomes us into the story so that we can grow in relationship with God and with one another.

God welcomes us to be a part of this happily ever after each and every time that we share the story, God’s story, our story, a story of hope, a story of love, a story of peace, a story of grace.

It is our story. And our story book is the Bible. Let these words become a part of your life. Let these words guide you. Let these words inspire you. Let these words bring you hope and peace.

It is our Story. It is God’s story. It is THE Story.

It is a story that we are called to share. Our children are here now. Our children want to be a part of the story. Our children want to grow in their faith. And I believe one of the ways that we can claim this responsibility and perform this task is to seriously look within the next few years at hiring a full-time Youth Minister who will help this church provide quality and life-changing ministry for our children and youth.

We have been given a responsibility to share the story. We have a responsibility to pass on the old, old story to the next generation or face extinction. We have been given the task to share the story: the Good, the Bad, and the ugly with the next generation or slip into oblivion.

It is our Story. It is God’s story. It is THE story. A story of hope. A story of peace. A story of love.

May we always welcome all of God’s children through education.

Amen.

Rev. Heather McColl
Midway Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)

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