What We Teach

The Rev. Dr. Skip Ferguson

Manassas Presbyterian Church

Manassas, Virginia

September 18, 2016

What We Teach

2 Timothy 3:16-17

All scripture is inspired by God

and is useful for teaching,

for reproof,

for correction,

and for training in righteousness,

so that everyone who belongs to God

may be proficient,

equipped for every good work.

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P. T. Barnum: it’s a name familiar to most of us,

especially those of us old enough

to have gone to the circus as a youngster,

the great Ringling Brothers Barnum & Bailey circus,

once called, “the greatest show on earth.”

Barnum was an entertainer,

a consummate showman,

who in the years before and after

our nation’s Civil War,

found countless ways to entertain,

to put on a show.

In fact, he was 60 years old

before he even got into the circus business,

the business that made his name known

throughout the nation, the world.

Barnum is probably best known, though,

not for his circus,

but for something he said,

a phrase that has become a part of our culture:

“There’s a sucker born every minute.”

Barnum and that sentiment are tied together,

firm, fast, and fixed.

This is unfortunate.

Because it is myth that Barnum said those words.

There is no evidence that those words came from him,

no evidence his biographers, historians

or other writers have ever been able to find

that he said, wrote,

or even thought those words.

Most historians think the phrase

came from riverboat gamblers.

It is a harsh, cynical statement,

and Barnum, by all accounts,

was not a harsh, cynical businessman –

he was a man who wanted to provide his customers

with good entertainment,

value for their money.

Myths abound; they are all around us.

We hear things,

words that come from a source we find credible,

and we believe them.

The advent of the Internet has made it

easy to spread information

that has no basis in fact,

but which people gobble up.

The mere fact that it appeared on the Internet

gives myth credibility,

in the same way the words “As Seen On TV”

somehow make a product more desireable.

Religion has always been fertile ground for myths,

for misinformation,

for stories that get passed along,

people believing them,

even embellishing them.

It is a myth, for example,

that Mary Magdalene was a prostitute.

You’ve heard me say that before,

from this pulpit and in classrooms.

Nothing in the Bible supports

or even suggests the idea

that she was a prostitute,

and yet many faithful still believe the story,

a story concocted by church leaders

centuries after Mary died.

We teach lots of things in our classrooms,

teach lots of things to our children,

our youth,

and our adults:

Bible stories,

history, theology.

Along the way we try to expose myths,

as we clarify,

check, challenge.

It isn’t facts, figures, names, places

that are the most important things we teach.

No, we want to teach every learner

to think, question, ponder,

figure things out.

What we teach is that God gives us instruction,

guidance,

illustrations and examples

for us to learn from,

and then weave into our own lives.

As we heard Paul tell Timothy,

the written Word of God is inspired by God,

not static words dead on the page,

but words made alive by the very breath of God

to guide, goad, and shepherd us.

They are words, in Paul tells us,

“useful for teaching,

for reproof,

for correction,

and for training in righteousness,

so that everyone who belongs to God

may be proficient,

equipped for every good work.”

“Useful” words,

useful for teaching,

useful for learning,

useful to guide us as we live our lives.

Eugene Peterson paraphrases Paul’s words this way:

“Every part of Scripture is God-breathed

and useful one way or another—

showing us truth,

exposing our rebellion,

correcting our mistakes,

training us to live God’s way.

Through the Word we are put together

and shaped up for the tasks God has for us.”

God’s Word, God’s words, teaching us.

They are words as alive as we are,

words we are called to read,

study,

learn from;

not memorize

as much as internalize,

to make a part of our lives.

We are to read

and then figure it out.

        

When the Prodigal returns to his father, for example,

and his father welcomes him with such joyful love,

what’s the lesson for you in your life,

for me in my life?

That perhaps we too, like the father

are to forgive, forget,

welcome;

That we too like the older brother

should let go of grudges, anger; bitterness;

That we too like the prodigal

can never stray so far from God

that we won’t be welcomed back joyfully,

without hestitation, without question.

When we read words that seem so out-of-date,

like “women should be silent,”

what are we to do with them?

Ignore them?

Stand by them firm and unyielding?

Things change over time –

how should our understanding of God’s word change?

The word disciple comes from a Latin root

that means “learner”: one who learns.

As disciples, we are called to learn,

to work at learning,

to figure things out

all of us together,

with God’s help through the Holy Spirit.

We don’t teach dogma in our classrooms;

Dogma is a word that suggests creeds,

absolute statements:

“you must believe this,

you must accept this as church teaching.”

The irony is that we probably do teach dogma,

because the root for the word

comes from the Latin

that means “think.”

God wants us to think;

Jesus wants us to think;

that’s why our Lord taught

through parables and stories.

If there is an absolute that we teach

it is that grace and love

are the beginning and the end of what we learn,

the alpha and omega of our learning,

as we follow the one who is the alpha and omega,

the grace and love of God

revealed in Jesus Christ.

“Beware that no one leads you astray,”

warns our Lord Jesus Christ.

(Mark 13:5)

Beware of myths,

misinformation,

lies

that are all around us,

including the church.

                                            

Come learn;

Come and learn with open mind, open heart.

Come and learn from the One who teaches us

compassion,

patience,

acceptance,

kindness,

mercy.

Come and learn from

the One who teaches us nothing about winning or losing,

but everything about serving.

Come and learn from the One

who teaches us grace,

the One who teaches us love.

Come…

learn.

AMEN