Sermon Recap-Back to the Primary (School) "Teachable Moments"

Another sermon delivered on a smurfingly lovely day on Apache Pier

This is the third week of a sermon series focusing on events from the Primary school. This is a good place to start, because we have things (ideas and theology, precepts and opinions) that were learned and formed early on in our educational process. Many of these foundational principles have been forgotten and are in need of revisitation and as my Grandma used to say, "I need to learn you a thing or two." Guess what, I need to learn too!

Have you messed up this week? I mean really messed up--royally well? Maybe it was not even a big mess up, but you still have issues.

We have had an exciting week at the primary school. On Friday, Sarah got a knock on her door and Douglas was standing beside his teacher. His class had been looking in the new aquarium that had been set up to help the kids have responsibility in caring for animals and understanding how they live. Douglas, while looking down into the fish tank, SPIT into it. A big oops on his part, or as they say in school, "A Bad Choice."

His dad had taught him the fine art of spitting. We do not do this often. But usually when we look off the side of the pier--we spit and watch it sail in the breeze until it hits the water. I see that you ladies look disgusted--so I must ask the men, "Did your Dad teach you to spit?" (Almost 80% of the males were multi-generational spitters) My flaw in teaching Douglas to spit was the necessary direction of "when and where." He did not get in trouble in this instance...I did.

This week our kids went out to recess. I was watching my 3 yr old autistic child like a hawk. He ran around and played and climbed up the slide and slid down several times. He made another climb up and I waited for 20 seconds and he did not come down. There were several teachers on the large playground equipment where he was hidden from my view. I just knew everything was fine. Another 15 seconds passed...and no little guy. I walked around the equipment and he was NO WHERE TO BE FOUND. I was frozen, unable to move, my mind raced but I stood heavy legged and still. Then I was startled to my senses and took off looking for him.

It is of no use to call out his name. He does not recognize or respond. Once he stops running he never stops. I went over to the other playground and scanned quickly for a stocky kid with tight braids. No such luck. I ran into the classroom to see if he happened to be there. I prayed that he was playing in the toilet. No such luck.

I walked out of the classroom and turned around and there he was in the tight grasp of the school disciplinarian. "You're fired, Mr. Jenkins," she said with a wry smile. I told her what had happened. She saw the sweat pouring out of my head and heard the shaking in my voice. "Mr. Jenkins, we are all in this together. Another staffer saw him running wide open through the lunchroom with no plans on slowing down. Everything is OK, you are doing a great job with him, just be careful. Guess what? A kid got away from me one time, too." I took a deep breath and FIRMLY grasped his little hand. We walked back out to the playground.

Jesus was one who took advantage of teachable moments. In a familiar story that is often shared on Easter or the week following--he teaches the right point at the right time.

John 21 (New Living Translation)
Epilogue: Jesus Appears to Seven Disciples

Later, Jesus appeared again to the disciples beside the Sea of Galilee.This is how it happened. Several of the disciples were there—Simon Peter, Thomas, Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples. Simon Peter said, “I’m going fishing.”

“We’ll come, too,” they all said. So they went out in the boat, but they caught nothing all night.
At dawn Jesus was standing on the beach, but the disciples couldn’t see who he was.

He called out, “Fellows, have you caught any fish?”
“No,” they replied.
Then he said, “Throw out your net on the right-hand side of the boat, and you’ll get some!” So they did, and they couldn’t haul in the net because there were so many fish in it.

Then the disciple Jesus loved said to Peter, “It’s the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his tunic (for he had stripped for work), jumped into the water, and headed to shore. The others stayed with the boat and pulled the loaded net to the shore, for they were only about a hundred yards from shore. When they got there, they found breakfast waiting for them—fish cooking over a charcoal fire, and some bread.

“Bring some of the fish you’ve just caught,” Jesus said.

So Simon Peter went aboard and dragged the net to the shore. There were 153 large fish, and yet the net hadn’t torn.

“Now come and have some breakfast!” Jesus said.

None of the disciples dared to ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. Then Jesus served them the bread and the fish.

Teachable moment--The disciples tried it their way and failed. After being a witness to the resurrected Christ and following His direction...amazing things happened. Often the emphasis of this story is on the huge amounts of fish caught and the net not tearing. Now, that is true and amazing. But this time, as I read this story the part that jumped out at me was the fact that Jesus gave them credit for the catch.

Now, if that had been you or I, we would have bragged and said, "I thought you were Sons of Fishermen. It is good that I called you to be a fisher of men, because you all are lousy fisher of fish. Look at what I did, I told you where they were and you caught them. You do not even need a depth finder with me around. Look at me. Look at Me. Bow down to me!!

Amazingly, the story does not end there. Not only does Jesus give them credit for catching the fish--he cooks breakfast and serves them. This is far more than a breakfast, He is teaching a valuable lesson about serving his flock. If the resurrected Christ can serve, if God in the flesh can serve, if out loving Saviour can serve---then certainly we are to serve as well.

When I walked back to the playground, one of the teachers was letting another one of the aides "have an ear full" about propping a door open. We had received several emails about making sure all the doors were closed, and the only way that my little guy could have escaped so quickly was to run in this propped open door. It only took a second, and he had escaped. Blame was being thrown around.

I walked over to the culprit. I looked at her and said, "The door should not have been open, but if I had been watching more closely--the propped open door would have been irrelevant.

Now-I do not have a Messiah complex. I am far from being Christlike-much less Christ. But in this teachable moment, I realized that she knew her mistake. She shared responsibility, but most of it was mine. She needed grace, I had been offered some by the administrator inside the school, and now it was my turn to extend some.

Jesus gives us credit for the good and takes our sin. We get his righteousness and He took the wrath of God on our behalf. Why are we so quick to take ALL the credit and pass ALL the blame?

I guess none of you will ask me to babysit for you. Your kid will know how to spit--if I do not lose him.

Isn't it good that Christ came to seek and save those that were lost? Thanks be to God.