Lutheran Schools Week 2007
Lent 2
Ephesians 4:15-16
March 4, 2007
A Great Place for Growing … Developing as People of Purpose”
Introduction: Brothers and Sister in Christ Jesus, as we begin National Lutheran Schools Week, I want to share these inspired words of St. Paul in the Bible. Paul gives us an invitation, a challenge, a direction, and a purpose for our faith and life as believers and followers of Jesus. In Ephesians 4:15, Paul says, “… speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ …” (ESV).
Growing is a life-long process. It takes effort. It has purpose. The purpose of life for all of us baptized into the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is to be what God has created us to be, to let our lives be a contribution to others in the name of Jesus. As we do this God presents us to Himself as love offerings in service to the gospel of Jesus Christ. That is what we are about. In this congregation, we want to help young and old alike grow, develop, and mature to live meaningful, satisfying, and eternally significant lives.
In 2 Corinthians 5:15, Paul says, “He [Jesus] died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised” (ESV). That is the purpose of our ongoing Christian education process. This is what is behind all the subjects taught in our Lutheran school as well as in our Sunday school classes, Bible study classes, worship services, and fellowship gatherings.
This is what Paul writes about and what our Lord wants to see among us and through us: Jesus desires a growing number of people, redeemed by our Savior Himself, who know and believe that the very purpose of life is to make a contribution to others in His name.
As partners in our congregation and school, we are about the business of growing, developing, and maturing people—sinners of all sizes, shapes, colors, and backgrounds. Our Lord Jesus wants them and us to become agents and instruments of His blessings in everyday life … and by His grace forever! That really was our Creator’s will from the beginning!
Growing … developing … maturing … involves a continuing process of becoming more and more of what our Creator and Redeemer intends us all to be. It is part of His call to repentance and change: to forsake the sinful ways of our “old nature” and to grow in our new life with Christ … to “put on the new nature” (Colossians 3), as Paul encourages us. Growing as the children of God involves the continuing and frequent use of God’s Word and the Sacraments (God’s means of grace) to assure us that our sins are forgiven, to remind us that we are God’s beloved children, to direct our lives, give encouragement, and persevere our strength in life with Him and one another.
Growing as faithful followers of Christ involves the discovery, development, and use of every
God-given gift each one of us has received. God does not want them to be wasted. Our Lord wants children in our school and youth and adults in this congregation to learn everything we can about His Word and will, about families, and about loving and caring … and also about reading, math, history, computers, science, relationships, serving and living … and lots more … and do it all in the light of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Growing in life with our Lord is made stronger by regular prayers for God’s wisdom, guidance, and blessing. That reality is what makes the climate of our school— a great place to grow. We urge every family in this congregation and community alike to make it a part of the climate of the home. Coming to church regularly, reading regularly God’s Word, and taking time for personal prayer and devotions are ways the Holy Spirit helps us all grow as God’s children, no matter what our age!
Of all the things God cares about in His world, we know that God cares about people most of all. He gave His Son to become one of us, so we could be His forever! In Titus 2, verses 11 – 14, Paul
reminds us “…the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works” (ESV).
Did you catch those last few words? Jesus has redeemed us, brought us back into a new and right relationship with our heavenly Father by dying on the cross for our sins. He made us His own people, people eager to do good to and for others. That’s our redeemed purpose … and that’s why we need to keep on learning, growing, developing, and maturing as people of God … so we can serve our Lord and all the people who will enter our lives. Those are the kinds of “seeds” we are trying to plant in the lives of the children in our school and among the youth and adults of this congregation!
Baptized into the name of Christ, we belong to God and each other. We trust Him. We believe in Him. Our purpose is to fulfill God’s purposes as the Apostle Paul encourages us, “Therefore, I urge you brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God- this is your spiritual act of worship.”(Romans 12:1 – 2). We want to be and become increasingly:
· Compassionate to each other and all people
· Serving God by loving each other and all people.
· Sensitive to each others needs and especially the need to share our faith in Jesus Christ to people that don’t come to church.
· Celebrating God’s grace, worshiping Him together with joy.
· Growing, nurturing people of God, encouraging each other, admonishing, and building each other up in Christian love.
Together, in Christ’s name, that is our God-given calling, our holy privilege in living—and we ask God to help us all—children, youth, moms and dads, singles and married people, teachers and pastor—to keep us growing, maturing, developing as people called to fulfill His purpose.
Quite a few years ago there was a terrible plane crash at LaGuardia Airport in New York City. A few people died. Many were injured. The newspaper reporters who arrived on the scene told of brave men and women helping one another. One medical doctor who survived the crash was reported going from one injured person to another, often saying to himself, “If only I had my instruments, if only I had my instruments, if only I had my instruments … I could help these people!”
My friends in Christ, you and I are the instruments of Jesus! We keep growing, serving, learning, developing, and maturing in all areas of faith and life. We want that for all our children and every adult too, so that we can be the hands, feet, voices, the agents and instruments of Jesus, people privileged to fulfill God’s purposes in daily life!
May God bless us in all we do in home and family, congregation and school and community to keep growing and fulfilling His purposes![i] In the name of Jesus, Amen.
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[i]David Belasic