Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. The theme for this school year is “Rooted” based on Colossians 2: 6-7: “Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.”
In just a few more days, roughly 72 hours, St. Paul’s Lutheran School will begin a new school year, continuing a century of Lutheran, Christian education in Enid. If we could trade places with each other, traveling through time, all of us – from 1926 and 2026 - might be surprised at the differences. They would probably be surprised at how the footprint of the school building has changed, and they would likely be somewhere between amazed and frightened at students using iPads and Promethian Boards instead of chalk and blackboard. I wonder how our kids would feel about classroom discipline back then, or the lack of air conditioning, and no internet access. Then again, we might all be surprised at similarities. I suspect the kids back then complained just as much as today about having to get out of bed and go to school instead of spending a day playing and goofing around with friends. And while educational standards, techniques and methods have all changed dramatically since then, one thing remains the same: we preach and teach Christ crucified. From the morning bell to the dismissal in the afternoon, the Jesus we teach with our mouths and demonstrate with our lives is the same yesterday, today, and forever. And, while those kids from 1926 might be blown out of the water that they can hear the Bible being read to them on-line, they would be able to sit right next to our students reading on their iPad and say, “Amen, amen: this is so.” And, if we were to ask the pastor and teacher in 1926, Pastor J.H. Holtmann and Mr. A.W. Leitz, and the pastor and principal in 2026, “What is the purpose of St. Paul’s Lutheran school?”, I would think all four of us would say, “That the children we teach, and their parents, might hear of Jesus, believe in Him, and receive eternal life through the death and resurrection of Christ.” May it be so; amen.
And, if we were to travel even further back in time to the first century AD, and ask St. Paul to help us identify the reason for this Lutheran school that bears his name, he might offer to us these words: “Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.”
It’s helpful to remember that when we read the Epistles, from Romans thru Jude, we are literally reading someone else’s mail. Each of the epistles – which means “letter,” by the way – was written to a church or, in some cases, a person, to address something that these first-century Christians were facing. Sometimes, it was a word of encouragement in the face of persecution. Other times, it was to correct false teachings or behaviors within the church. And, other times, it was to better understand how the church was different than the world around it because of the good news of Jesus. The Holy Spirit saw fit that these letters have been preserved for us and, recognizing His inspiration of those sacred writers, the Church then assembled them into what is today is over half of the New Testament canon.
Paul’s letter to the Colossians is one of those epistles. Paul writes because he has heard from Epaphras, his fellow evangelist and the pastor at Colossae, that the young church was struggling against some of the philosophies and teachings of the community which were threatening to make inroads into the church and compete against the message of the cross of Jesus. There seemed to be three main problems, three false teachings, that were being spread. Together, they created a strange admixture of Judaism and Gentile religions which, together, were pressing into the church. From Judaism came the idea that that people had to follow all of their religious rituals, festivals, and even sabbath law to be a proper Christian. From the Gentiles came something called asceticism, a type of stoicism, where people were taught to deny simple gifts of God, like food or living together or even marriage, because these things, it was said, got in the way of achieving higher levels of thinking. But, the most dangerous one of all was a false teaching that actually found its roots back in Genesis, insinuating there was a secret wisdom of God that He was hiding, so Christians were to seek out ways to find the missing truths. In a sense, it wasn’t far off from how satan himself tempted Eve, insinuating that God was withholding what “evil” was.
These sound rather nebulous, at first. What’s wrong with tradition? What’s so bad about minimalism? What’s so bad about seeking deeper understanding of God and His Word? Stop and think about what such teachings do. The insistence was that these things had to be done – you had to follow the traditions to be a good Chistian; you had to get rid of things that got in the way of higher thinking; you had to find these secrets of God on your own. You, you, you. It’s backwards! These other things, these other teachings, were getting in the way of that message, daring to offer other, alternate ideas of what brings salvation. Instead of keeping the Christian’s eyes on the cross of Jesus, the temptation was to look elsewhere to less certain – actually, to completely uncertain and false alternatives.
The message of the church, the message that had Epaphras proclaimed to the Colossians, is that all of God’s plans of salvation came to their completion in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. By God’s grace, through faith in Jesus’ once-for-all vicarious atonement – not by our own work, effort, and merit, but by Christ alone – God’s people have the certain assurance of the forgiveness of sins, the promise of our own resurrection, and being welcomed into the family of God. Because of Christ, and His fulfillment of the Law and its terrible punishment of condemnation for those who break it, all of God’s promises are now yes through Jesus.
So, Paul, writing to the church in Colossae, urged them to sluff off anything other than Jesus only. He uses three images to help the Colossians understand this: walk in Him, be rooted in Him, be built up in Him. Walking would have brought to mind Jesus own talking on human flesh to dwell among us, to know our needs, to be temped as we are tempted, yet remaining without sin. As He walked among us, so walk after Him, not seeking to exceed Him but to follow after him so closely as to be in Him, connected in mind and spirit. To be rooted was an agrarian image, the roots of the Corinthian’s faith driving deeply into the love and mercy of God in Christ Jesus, drawing faith, life, and hope from Him. And the building image would remind the Colossians that they are part of the whole church, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets who have gone before them, with Jesus Himself as the living cornerstone. You’ve been taught this, Paul says. Instead of seeking alternate ways of finding God, rejoice and give thanks that in Christ He has found and rescued you, making you part of the body of Christ, the church.
Earlier, I made a few broad comparisons, similarities and differences, of the school year of 2026 verses 1926. I submit that the same is true in today’s milieu verses the world of Colossae some 2000 years ago. The world in which we live is not conducive to the Christian church. Satan is very much at work, trying to take our eyes off Jesus, His death and resurrection, His gifts for the church, and His mercy for us. From the false gods of me, myself and I, to brash consumerism, to “do whatever pleases you,” there is no shortage of things that he uses to distract us. If you allow me to set a theological premise as a math problem, to “preach across the curriculum,” if you will: JESUS PLUS ANYTHING EQUALS NOTHING. Anything that is attempted to be added to Jesus as the only means of certain salvation actually diminishes the cross, causes confusion, twists the conscience, and makes satan dance with glee.
Dear teachers, that is the context against which you will be teaching the students entrusted to your care. There are a thousand and one other things that all seek to take the place of Jesus, or to at least offer a substitute means of “rescue.” Your calling, your vocation as a teacher at St. Paul’s Lutheran School, is to help plant the seeds of faith into the hearts and minds of these children and, prayerfully, those seeds might be extended into the home as well. With those seeds planted, you will then water, nurture, and fertilize those seeds so that they can grow and blossom into a deeply-rooted, strongly built foundation of faith. You will do this vocally, speaking of sin that deserves punishment and mercy that forgives. You will speak of Jesus’ death and resurrection as the salvific means through which God’s perfect Law is kept and His justice is measured. You will speak the very words of Scripture in your classes – sometimes verbatim, reading them together, and sometimes summarizing them in the moment of a conversation, one on one, or in front of the class, or in a message to a parent. And you will demonstrate that same Godly, Christ-like compassion in your actions so that what you do is just as loud as what is said. A quote, often attributed to St. Francis of Assisi, says, “Preach the Gospel at all times; if necessary, use words.” Going back to my preaching across the curriculum from theology to math, instead of JESUS PLUS ANYTHING EQUALS NOTHING, you will do the reciprocal (note: another math word): JESUS PLUS NOTHING EQUALS EVERHYTHING.
But let me say this, teachers – and to all of you at St. Paul’s this morning. Our theme verse, “Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving,” is not just for the children who will walk into our building Wednesday morning. It applies to you as well. Allow the Holy Spirit to strengthen and deepen your own roots of faith. Be vigilant in your own spiritual lives. Water the roots of faith deeply as you recall your own baptism, where your sins were washed away and you received the guarantee of salvation as a child of God. You will need that reminder constantly, because satan will take each and every mistake and sin you commit as a teacher and as a parent – and as a brother or sister in Christ – and throw it in your face that you aren’t good enough, that you shouldn’t be doing this noble task, that you are a mess. You combat his lies by remaining rooted in the faith which you have been taught. Be faithful and regular in church; be faithful and regular in reading the Word; be faithful and regular in prayer; be faithful and regular in receiving the Lord’s Body and Blood. And, when those times come when the guilt or shame is louder, heavier, and darker, seek out the words of absolution from your pastor. Know this: my door is (literally) open for you – anyone hearing this message today. It is my pleasure to assure you of God’s mercy for you in Christ with the sure, certain absolution of Jesus. And, know this as well: what is said to me, whether in my study or your classroom, or your home or hospital bed, it dies between us. I don’t discuss or share those conversations with others, including my wife, the school principal, or your spouse. I can’t because it’s gone, stripped from you by Christ.
Well, we’re now about 71 hours away from the beginning of school. I’m looking forward to Wednesday morning, greeting the kids, and then beginning the year here, in the sanctuary. We'll begin with the triune name of God, invoking His name and blessing upon us, faculty, staff and students. Beginning that morning, seeds will be planted; roots will take shape and begin to grow; and a spiritual foundation will begin to be laid. By God’s grace, we will walk together in love in Christ.
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, may it be so. Amen.
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