John 15 9-17 Scholia

The Word of the Lord from John 15:16: "You did not choose Me, but I chose you."

This is the Word of the Lord.

So, you're a Lutheran school teacher-you teach at a Lutheran school. In Idaho. This is not like teaching in Minnesota or Wisconsin, where you open the doors and the seats fill up with baptized members of the congregation. This isn't a town in Indiana, where the Lutheran schools have their own bus system. Out here, you're a strange breed, and that can make for peculiar situations.

In the space of 48 hours this year, we received two phone calls from parents. The first wanted to know if we were really Pentecostal, because the pastor wore a white robe for chapel. The second wanted to know if we were really Roman Catholic…in part because the pastor wore a white robe for chapel.

Or there was the school resource police officer assigned to our campus who introduced himself by phone and, after chatting for a bit, said, "If you don't mind my asking, are you folks Christians?"

I often identify with what Emerson said: "It is a luxury to be understood."

We're a strange breed in these parts, but it's important to know who we are. Yes, we are Christians with a specific confession of faith. No, we do not teach that we Lutherans are the only ones going to heaven. In fact, we condemn such as a lie; for wherever the Word is proclaimed, there you will find the Church.

So what is it that makes us so peculiar? Briefly, like Protestants, we teach that we are saved alone by grace through faith in Christ, who has fully atoned for our sins on the cross. This is an entirely Scriptural doctrine. At the same time, like Roman Catholics, we teach that the Sacraments are means of grace by which the Lord delivers forgiveness to us. This, too, is an entirely Scriptural doctrine. Put the two of these together, and you're Lutheran-and a little bit different from other Christians around you. So, is this oddity something we should minimize or give up? Or is it a great blessing worth defending?

I contend that this is a great comfort for you-and for your students.

Children face all sorts of insecurities, and you know this far better than I. They're worried about looks, style, losing, being popular, being smart enough or fast enough. Besides those internal anxieties, there are problems at home, family fights and parental shortfalls. Apart from religion, experts say that this leads to low self-esteem. Within religion-and within your classroom, the student will easily wonder, "If I have all these problems, does God really love me? how can I be sure?"

What do you say?

Picture a typical 7th grade girl and some descriptives that go with her: Worried about looks. Trying to fit in. Puberty. Acne. Uncertain…unsure…insecure. None of this is helped by the universal law that, sometimes in junior high, you just do stupid, embarrassing things. This can lead to a spiritual crisis: "If God loves me, how come the cheerleaders make fun of me?" Or, "I say I'm a Christian, but I keep doing stupid things. So am I really a Christian?" What do you say to her then?

In many a non-denominational Christian school, the answer will be something like this: "You can be sure that you're a Christian whom God loves if you accept Jesus as your Savior and Lord. When you've made that decision for Him, then you can be sure." The advice sounds fairly good, but beware: Sooner or later, that girl is going to fail. The adolescent Old Adam isn't going to go down easy. So when she fails, she thinks, "Why'd I do that? I thought I'd accepted Jesus, but now I messed up again. Did I accept Him enough? Was I really sincere in my decision, or did I just think I was?" If she seeks out advice, the counsel might very well be something like this: "Accept Jesus again. Then you can be sure."

This becomes a vicious circle: The student "accepts Jesus" and does fine for a few days. Then she messes up and determines that she didn't do a good enough job of accepting. She does it again. And fails again. Round and round she goes. She may wonder if he has what it takes to be a Christian. Swell…with all the other problems of adolescence, now she's unsure of God's love, too.

It's the inevitable problem if one teaches only the cross, but not the means of grace. By His death on the cross, Jesus has atoned for that girl's sins. But since there are no means of grace to deliver His forgiveness, she's got to decide to get it. And she can never trust that she's done enough. No one can.

You have something far better to tell-and to hear: Both Christ's death and His means of grace. You rejoice in our risen Lord's assurance: "You did not choose Me, but I chose you."

How can you be sure that God loves you?

First, you can be sure that God loves you because Jesus died for the sins of the world. This was His doing, not yours. And if He died for the sins of the world, and you are in the world, therefore He has died for your sins. You can be sure you are included in His redemption.

Second, you can be sure of God's favor because He comes to you. He does not sit in heaven and hope that you commit to Him. Rather, He has committed Himself to come to you. In your Baptism, God chose you. He washed away your sins, shared with you Christ's death and resurrection. He promises His faithfulness: If you doubt that grace given in your Baptism-or if you even reject it and fall into unbelief, the Lord faithfully pursues you and calls you to repentance. God did the work in Holy Baptism; and when God does the work, He does it enough. When He speaks, He always keeps His Word.

He continues to speak His Word to you. He doesn't just tell you about forgiveness and wait for you to choose: He gives it to you by His Word. He pours forgiveness through your ear, and it is your unless you reject it. Do you still do stupid, sinful things? Yes, so Jesus keeps speaking forgiveness to you in His Word of Holy Absolution; He keeps giving you forgiveness. And when you tell your students of His death and resurrection for their redemption, He is giving them forgiveness, too. Are you weak? Exhausted? Beaten? At such times, you will find that you have no energy to commit your self more to Him. So He comes to you in your weakness and says, "Take and eat, this is My Body. Take and drink, this is My Blood…for the forgiveness of sins."

You did not choose Him. He chose you. And because He has done the accepting, you can be sure that it is enough. Whether you're in Kindergarten, 7th grade or a teacher in the classroom, these things remain true: Thanks to your sin, you could never choose God enough, and you can't trust yourself to accomplish His will. But this is also true: He has chosen you. He has died for you. He has risen for you. And He comes to you in His means of grace.

You can't be certain of much in this life, but you can be certain of this: You are His, because you are forgiven for all of your sins in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. Amen