Immanuel Lutheran School Opening Service (the Feast of St. Bartholomew)

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

In our First Reading from 2 Corinthians chapter 4, the Apostle Paul speaks of our Christian faith as a “treasure in earthen vessels” (2 Corinthians 4:7). Our faith in Jesus Christ is, indeed, a treasure. For it is a free gift of God given to us by grace alone. The forgiveness of sin, the hope of eternal life, and the gift of salvation which are given to us by God are free gifts given to us on account of Christ’s suffering and death. And this gift is to be received by faith alone. We do nothing to earn or merit this great treasure which we have been given. It is a heavenly gift of God. And yet, the Apostle tells us that this great heavenly treasure of our faith is held in “earthen vessels.” This is to say that God delivers the gift of faith to us and preserves this treasure in us by earthly means.

Of course, the preaching of God’s Word and the blessed Sacraments are chief among the earthen vessels used by our Lord to deliver His gifts to us. But another, often under-appreciated “earthen vessel” used by our Lord to deliver His treasures to is by the means of story. Stories are the primary means by which humans relate to the world around them. They are how we find meaning in a big and chaotic world. And so it is no coincidence, then, that our Lord Jesus Himself was fond of using stories called parable to teach about the Kingdom of God.

Now, no story is neutral. No one can hear a good story and be unchanged by it. Stories penetrate our very being. They engage our emotions. They invite us to cheer on the hero and to celebrate the downfall of the villain. Stories invite us to ask important questions about how the world works and the nature of good and evil. Stories are indispensable—we need them—because God has made us to be story people.

God has made us this way because all things are ultimately a part of His story. All things relate to the story of history, of creation and redemption, of humanity’s sin and of our Savior’s great love. Even the pagan stories of unbelievers can be valuable to Christians because they invite us to see the world through other people’s eyes. They invite us to see the human struggle between right and wrong. They invite us to be discerning about what is true, good, and beautiful. And most importantly, good stories invite us to see the futility or the hopelessness of humanity’s struggle against evil, and how Jesus is the only answer for our deepest needs and longings.

And so, it is good and right that you students will spend a significant portion of your days this school year hearing stories in your classrooms. You’ll read great stories like: “Little House in the Big Woods”, “Charlotte’s Web”, “Good King Wenceslas”, “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe”, “Robin Hood”, “The Hobbit”, and “The Odessey.” Some of these stories are explicitly Christian, some of them are stories of adventure, some are stories of people who are a mixed bag—they display both virtue and vice. But all of these stories will invite you to consider your place in God’s world and how you can become a young man or young woman of virtue, wisdom, and godliness.

And the stories will continue in chapel. Our older students will hear Bible stories every day in chapel. Our younger students will come to chapel once a week. The Bible stories we hear and the things that we do here in this room are the heart and center of everything that we will do as a school. Because this is a special place, set apart by God, where He comes to meet us, to teach us about Jesus, and to grow our faith. And so, we will learn a lot about Jesus. We will learn stories about the saints—saints such as the Apostle Bartholomew, who the Church remembers today. Saint Bartholomew was one of the lesser-known apostles. But still, after the resurrection and ascension of Jesus, Saint Bartholomew and his friend Saint Thaddaeus traveled to the nation of Armenia in western Asia so that the people there could learn about Jesus. According to church history, Saint Bartholomew was so successful in preaching the Gospel, that he converted the king of Armenia, which made the king’s brother so mad that he had Saint Bartholomew put to death by being skinned alive.

This story of Saint Bartholomew illustrates something important. It shows us the power of the great treasure of the faith that Jesus has given to us. As the Apostle Paul says, we might be persecuted or even killed. But even in that suffering, Jesus doesn’t leave us alone. He won’t let us be destroyed. Because Jesus has given us a victory over death through His death and resurrection. In suffering and death, we are joined to the story and life of Jesus. We are a part of something greater than ourselves. We are a part of God’s story of creation and redemption.

All of this is to say that the point of everything we do here at Immanuel Lutheran School, all of the stories that we read, all of the work that we do—all of it seeks to serve one purpose and one purpose alone: That we may be Rooted in Christ through His story of creation and redemption. May God the Holy Spirit bless our students as they grow in this treasure. May He bless our teachers as they instruct the students. And may He bless our office staff and administration as they seek to support this purpose to the glory and praise of Christ Jesus, our Lord.

In Jesus’ name. Amen.