Teach Me Your Way, O Lord

It’s the heart of summer and some of you might have just walked across the stage, graduating either from high school, or college, or perhaps you just attended a graduation to support friends and family. Do you remember hearing the cheers of the graduates, families, friends, and teachers? I have sat in on many high school graduations as both a teacher and event manager. There has always been one thing that I have wanted to communicate to each graduate, and that is “May you never stop learning.”

It is hard to not think sometimes that we have learned everything that we are supposed to know, especially when we cross an important finish line, like high school graduation. But that’s so far from the truth. I recall long after that benchmark when, as a teacher myself, I had to administer my first test to my students. Yes, even teachers get super nervous and scared when it comes to testing. How do we write each and every question? I agonized over every test, every pop quiz, and I couldn’t help but fret over how my students would do and prayed I had taught them well.

You see, we teachers are learning just as much as you are. You know what it feels like to have to prepare for finals or try to complete some new skill you’ve learned for the first time. No matter the circumstances, I’m willing to bet that you sometimes wrestle with a fear of failing. What if I get too many questions wrong? What if I can’t finish the job? Really, the questions we plague ourselves with can torment us if we allow them to. Whether in school or at a job, these are common struggles, especially whenever we are learning something new.

Yet if we are honest with ourselves, we ask the same questions when it comes to our spiritual lives. After all, God’s perfect standard, the Law, is ever before us. We hear it preached at Divine Service. We read it in our Bible. There are reminders everywhere. It seems pretty straightforward: don’t have any gods before God, listen to our authorities, don’t murder, don’t, don’t, don’t, don’t…Don’t fail or else God won’t bless you. That is the Law, calling you a sinner— throwing everything in your face and telling you that you do not deserve God’s favor or love. These fears can dwarf anything you might struggle with at school or work, which are temporary. This is eternity we’re talking about!

But (yes there is that big but) here comes Christ. He is one who aced the test of following the Law perfectly. He is like that one person in your class who you might accuse of being a know-it-all, but Christ, instead of being motivated by self-serving interests, did it for us, placing His 100% perfect obedience to the Law on our record—just as if we had earned it ourselves.

He doesn’t stop there. We get to reap the benefits of His obedience, for He became sin for us and died on a cross to save us from our sins. He took on our failure, our disgrace, our sinfulness and upon Him was the chastisement of the world. So what are those benefits? We receive forgiveness of sins in our Baptism, as well as in His Body and Blood in, with, and under the bread and the wine. Through these Means of Grace He strengthens our faith and causes us to grow in our walk with Him.

I will always remember the question I was asked before I was confirmed as a member of the LCMS, and that was, “Will you ever stop learning?” to which I responded, “No.” At the time I was almost surprised by my answer but now I know that we are always learning something new from the scriptures: everything from the depth of God’s love for us to how we can be Christ to our neighbor. In fact, John 14:26 tells us that “the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.” Did you catch that? The Holy Spirit is our teacher, pointing us to Christ!

So no matter what your vocation, always be ready to learn, but especially in your walk with God. And where can you be sure this learning will happen? Why, in His Church, even during these dog days of summer. We receive Christ in Word and Sacrament every time we enter the church. We leave, knowing we walk in the Gospel of Jesus Christ and Him crucified for our sins! And the Holy Spirit continues to teach us this truth, that we might walk daily in it throughout our lives.

Stephen Brynestad is a member of Messiah Lutheran Church in Corpus Christi, Texas where he has served as a youth leader and teacher.