Saint Luke's Lutheran Church

Columnist Erma Bombeck writes in one of her columns about a friend named Marge. Marge was one of those Supermoms, perfection personified. She did everything right: she kept a perfect home; she had a perfect marriage, she always looked picture perfect. On top of that she was a devoted Roman Catholic who always had a copy of Bishop Fulton Sheen's latest book on the coffee table and answered the door pregnant when the priest came by.

One day, Bombeck asked her how she did it. She said, "I just emulate the Blessed Virgin Mary." "Marge," Erma said, "it's a little bit late for that." "Very well, I'll tell you." Marge replied, "Every evening, when the children are bathed and tucked into their clean little beds, and their lunches are packed and labeled and lined up in the refrigerator, and their shoes are in the cubby by the door, and I've read them a Bible story and heard all their prayers, I fall down on my knees and say, 'Thank you, God, for not letting me kill one of them today.'"

The Gospel lesson we just read shows us that the Blessed Virgin Mary had her days too - even with a son as perfect as Jesus. It happened in Jesus' twelfth year, when Mary and Joseph took him on their annual pilgrimage to Jerusalem for the Feast of Passover. The holy family would have traveled with others from Nazareth and Galilee - the men in one group and the women and children in another. Jesus, at 12 years of age, could have traveled in either group. It was the third day after they left Jerusalem that Mary and Joseph realized that Jesus was not with either one of them. In a panic, they dashed back to the city to look for the boy.

When they finally found him, Jesus was in the Temple courtyards, talking with the rabbis. That was a good place, but mother was not impressed. As soon as she laid eyes on him, Mary's emotions went from fear and anxiety to relief and joy. That did not last long. Soon that gave way to irritation and anger. In familiar maternal fashion, Mary chastises Jesus, "How could you do this to us?"

Jesus' answer to his mother sounds pretty typical for a teenager - what he says is true, but the way he says it comes off a little sassy. I can almost picture Mary doing what my mother would have done - grabbing Jesus by the ear and marching him all the way back to Nazareth.

I remember seeing a picture in our family Bible when I was growing up that illustrated this story. In this painting Jesus sat in the center bathed in light, surrounded by balding and bearded men all looking very intently at him. They looked like they were hanging on his every word. The legend beneath the picture say, "The boy Jesus teaching in the Temple." But that's not what was going on there. Luke tells us that Jesus was listening to the teachers and asking them questions. Jesus wasn't teaching, he was learning.

Jesus was a student before he was a teacher. Luke tells us that Jesus was a pretty bright student - for even the Temple rabbis were amazed at his understanding. But Jesus was not born into this world knowing everything. He had to learn - just like we do. He had to learn to talk, to read, to make things out of wood. He also needed to learn the Scriptures. Even though he was the Son of God, he didn't automatically know everything about God. Jesus spent the first 30 years of his life learning and the last three years teaching. That gives us an idea of how important Christian education is in the church of Jesus Christ.

Today we are dedicating the Lower Level as a Learning Place - a place of teaching where both young and old can learn more about God. Even though we are not saved by what we know, Christian education helps us to better understand the love of God which caused Jesus to give his life on the cross for the sins of the world. Christian education helps us to trust more deeply in a God who is with us even though we cannot see him, a God who is in control even when things seem to be out of control. Christian education helps us to know what is good and right and acceptable to our God, so that we can live our lives more freely and more faithfully.

Learning was a way of life for Jesus. He spent his entire life either learning or teaching. This Jesus has called you to follow him. That means he has called you to a lifetime of education. If you are not learning, you need to be teaching. If you are not teaching, you need to be learning. Our newly finished Lower Level enables us to do more teaching and learning. The crowded classrooms of the last several years discouraged students from coming and made it difficult for teachers to teach. Our educational space has been increased by at least 75%. There is room for you and for your children.

Before we dedicate the Lower Level as a Learning Place, however, I want you to know that this is not intended to be the primary place for Christian Education here at St. Luke's. Jesus did not learn what he knew about God primarily at the Temple. For him to ask the questions he asked and answer the questions he answered, he had to have learned a great deal at home from Mary and Joseph. They must have done what Moses said to do in Deuteronomy 6 - impressed God's word upon Jesus' heart. They must have talked about God when they sat at home and when they walked along the road, when they got up in the morning and when they went to bed at night. So today, the primary place for Christian Education is not here in this building, but in your homes and in your automobiles and in the intersections of your life in the world. Daily life is fraught with teachable moments - times when we can learn something significant about God, about themselves, about life. We need to recognize these teachable moments and take advantage of them.

So, parents, do not send your children to Sunday School expecting someone else to give them their religious instruction. If they are not learning about God from you at home, then by the time you send them to us, we are already way behind the eight ball. Remember, when you brought your children for baptism, you promised to teach them the Lord's Prayer, the Ten Commandments, and the Apostles' Creed - and to teach them these things at home.

The Lower Level will be a place of learning, because it will be a place of partnership. It will be a place where teachers will reinforce the faith lessons learned at home. It will be a place where parents will gather to guide and encourage each other in the difficult task of raising children in the love of God. It will be a place where Bible study will deepen the faith of youth and adults so that they will be able to share that faith more effectively with others.

It will be a place of partnership because it is not just parents who are responsible for the Christian education of their children. These children and youth belong to all of us. We are all members of a single family. So even if you do not have any biological children or grandchildren, you have plenty of spiritual children and grandchildren. When we baptize a child, we welcome that child into God's family, into our family, into the family of faith. We have a responsibility to see that each one of these children grows in faith and understanding - just as the boy Jesus did.

We meet part of this responsibility by providing a place of learning. But the place, as nice as it is, is not enough. People learn from other people - from their words and their actions, from their example and their commitment. Just as it takes a whole village to raise a child, so it takes a whole congregation to raise a disciple. Some of you will teach Sunday School. Some of you will be small group guides. Some of you will be mentors. Some of you will be spiritual grandparents.

So today let us not only dedicate a Learning Place, let us also dedicate Learning People - people who like Jesus will spend a lifetime learning and teaching. Amen.