Introduction
The COVID-19 global health crisis has taught us all a lot of lessons, and made for a lot of revelations. For instance, while I knew the job and calling of teachers was a hard one, I didn’t know just how hard until trying to home school my kids. Last spring I had serious doubts about passing the second grade, and just three weeks into the third grade those doubts have only compounded exponentially.
So for today’s sermon I thought since I’ve had to go back to school—we all should go back to school! Don’t worry; we will skip the terrifying trips to the chalkboard and the awkwardness of co-ed gym class. But if you Gen Xer’s want to get out your jelly shoes and jean jackets, your flannel and Nirvana t-shirts, well, feel free.
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School can be hard at any grade level for all manners of social and institutional constructs, but school doesn’t do itself any favors when it tries to employ teaching methods that make learning harder than it needs to be.
I am not talking about teachers who teach—but rather the tools they are given to do the teaching, namely textbooks.
Ask students and teachers and many will tell you that some textbooks were written by those who were neither teachers nor students, agreeing that textbooks can too often contain some of the most boring, mundane and, sometimes, baffling instruction you’ve ever read.
Unclear, nonsensical, and blooper-ish questions have been appearing in textbooks for generations, which could explain that “C-” you got in Mr. Rosenswag’s geometry class back in the day. (I told you it wasn’t my fault mom! The question was “find X”, show your work.” So I did. The “X” was right there in the corner of the triangle—I circled it and drew an arrow from the question to the “X” to show my work! Mr. Rosenswag didn’t even give me partial credit. Although he was generous with the C-.)
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A website called Thanks Textbooks now offers a fascinating look at the myriad of ways in which educational writing can make students actually more confused than proficient. The site lists dozens of textbook fails and head-scratchers from around the world— enough to make even the most challenged student feel like a genius by comparison. Here are some examples from actual textbooks…
A local hamburger outlet offers patrons a choice of four condiments: catsup, mustard, pickles and onions. If the condiments are added or omitted in a random fashion, what is the probability that you will get one of the following types: catsup and onion, mustard and pickles or one with everything?
Thank goodness this textbook writer hadn’t been to a Five Guys burger joint that offers fifteen burger toppings.
Here’s another… Frank ate 12 pieces of pizza and Dave ate 15 pieces. “I ate 1/4 more,” said Dave. “I ate 1/5 less,” said Frank. Who was right?”
I think the real question is, “With that kind of pizza consumption, who has higher cholesterol?”
Then there is Suzi and Carl who are playing a game with complex numbers. “If Suzi has a score of 5 – 4i and Carl has a score of 3 + 2i, what is their total score?” I have no idea, but I do know Suzi and Carl need to get a more fun game—maybe try Candyland or Chutes and Ladders Suzi and Carl.
It’s almost as though these textbook writers live in a different world than the rest of us—a world where someone orders random condiments on a burger, where eating 27 pieces of pizza is normal and where the goal of childhood games is to have as little fun as possible. It’s no wonder students look at this stuff and exclaim, “I’ll never use this!”
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You may not remember the last time you played a game with complex numbers (if ever) but still, there are certain pieces of our educational upbringing that are both useful and necessary to your daily life. This is especially true when it comes to the Christian life, for which we need clear directions with practical applications in order to manage real world problems.
Fortunately for us, the Apostle Paul gives us his letter to the Romans, which could be considered a textbook for the Christian life. But Paul wasn’t simply dreaming up problems for his churches to solve. In fact, Paul often answered questions the world didn’t know they needed to ask.
Now Romans itself isn’t the easiest book to read and understand with its paragraph-long sentences and lengthy arguments, but it offers some of the most practical and useful advice for living in a world where things often don’t make sense. And this is the case in our text for today.
The clarity of Paul’s instruction here in chapter 13 offers the answer key to a whole lot of problems in living the life of Christ in the world. And we would be doing the faithful thing to learn all we can from this textbook of Christianity.
Move 1
For Paul, as it was for Jesus, the primary answer to any problem one might encounter is love. “Owe no one anything except to love one another, for the one who loves has fulfilled the law.” (v. 8)
The “law” Paul points to here is the commandments from Exodus 20— ten clear statements about the way life is to be lived in the community of God’s people. But like any word problem, staring at these commandments for a long period of time can lead to looking for loopholes or alternate interpretations—i.e., find “X”, there it is.
That’s why Paul reveals the basis behind the commandments as the guiding principle for answering most every question and every test the Christian might encounter. “The commandments…are summed up in this word, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself. Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law.” (vv. 9-10).
Paul echoes Jesus here, who preached that the greatest commandments are the love of God and neighbor. “On these two commandments,” said Jesus, “hang all the law and the prophets.” (Matthew 22:40)
Whatever the question might be for Christian behavior— be it about eating, playing games, relationships, engagement with the world, about being the church or even trying to figure out who’s to blame for a poor grade in geometry—the answer is love.
Of course, that’s not an easy answer—and we are all often starring at a generous C- in loving our neighbor, or worse when Jesus tells us to love even our enemies.
Move 2
It is important to remember Paul is writing to the church in Rome, which is struggling under the thumb of the emperor. Its people are in a tough place where those outside this worldview see the church as an enemy at worst, and at best an institution that is irrelevant. As a result, the Roman world would be hostile to Christians for some 300 years. But, even then, Paul says the answer to the questions on the civics test is love and respect. Even when confronted with the power and injustice of the world against them, the Christian’s answer must be love.
Now it’s not a squishy, meek kind of love Paul is calling for, nor is it quantitative like another textbook question that asked, “The ratio of hugs to kisses at the family reunion was 4:1. If there were 148 hugs, how many kisses were there?” (Answer: 37, but way less if Aunt Gertrude forgot her teeth).
Rather, the kind of love Paul is talking about is the love that forgives rather than retaliates; that promotes peace instead of conflict; that bridges differences instead of making a wider gap.
In fact, says Paul, we need this shorthand answer of love for most questions because the test time is running out. “Besides this, you know what time it is, how it is now the moment for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we became believers; the night is far gone, the day is near.” (vv. 11-12).
Like a student watching the clock while taking the SAT, Paul sees that time is nearly up for the present world. The “day” of the Lord, the eschaton, is close at hand—the day when every person will be called to account for their deeds. (2:6-11)
Paul is instructing us to stop deconstructing the questions and get busy showing our work. “Let us then lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armor of light; let us live honorably as in the day, not in reveling and drunkenness, not in debauchery and licentiousness, not in quarreling and jealousy.” (v. 13)
In other words, live now as though you’ve already passed the test.
Conclusion
Students who envision themselves being successful and who put extra time into study tend not to be surprised when odd or anomalous questions appear on the test. Paul invites us to likewise engage in good habits that lead to success, in contrast to those who are lazy and licentious—who will flunk the ultimate final.
This is Paul’s textbook advice to those of us who are confronted with strange questions and hard situations every day.
What’s the right answer when your boss treats you unfairly?
What’s the proper response when your friend gets the scholarship you thought you deserved?
How do you be a neighbor to a neighbor who has a political sign that differs from yours?
What do you do about the fact that there are some people you don’t like—and some who don’t like you?
How do you respond to a problem with one of your family members?
What do you do when your character is misjudged?
What do you do when you are in a tough place, and those around you come at you as an enemy?
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The broader answer is never easy, but the answer always begins with love— unconditional, willful, sacrificial, Christ-like love.
So let us let love be the answer to all of our tests in life.
And let’s use our lives to show our work. Because when it comes to the tests of life…love is textbook Christianity. Amen.
Pastoral Prayer, September 20, 2020
Holy God, we come to you this day, aware we are in a time of dimness, a nighttime where pain, anguish and fear run rampant, and the worry the night will never end sets ever deeper into the minds, hearts, and spirits of so many of your children.
We have only to think about the ongoing global health crisis with its rising and dropping of numbers and statistics, its differing messages from those who are relaying information—all of it splitting our understanding of what’s really happening.
We have only to think about the ongoing effects and devastating impacts of Hurricane Sally, and the people who have had to first endure its power, and now have to sort through its destruction.
We have only to think about this political season, and the divisive unrest it contains, along with the vicious attacks from all sides, both verbal and physical.
We have only to think of the civil unrest and the conflict between those fighting to be heard, and those who don’t want to hear.
Holy God, we know the answer to each of these dim and cold situations, and so many others. The answer is your love. Your love available to all. Your love that we know has been instilled in each of us in your church.
This is what the world needs so we pray you help us to share it in every way we possibly can.
Through your love that we share, may there be no more gloom for those who are in anguish.
Through your love that we share, may you lift away people’s burdens.
Through your love that we share, may you remove that which oppresses the lives of so many of your children.
Through your love that we share, may you give courage to those who are lost and consumed with fear.
Lord God, your love calls us forth to follow and serve you. Your love shines for all to see in this world. May we reflect your love in our lives, in our service, in our words, and in our deeds. Amen.