Difference between revisions of "Sermon for August 3rd, 2025"

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Psalm 30:1-12

A Psalm. A Song at the dedication of the temple. Of David.

1 I will extol you, O Lord, for you have drawn me up
    and did not let my foes rejoice over me.
2 O Lord my God, I cried to you for help,
    and you have healed me.
3 O Lord, you brought up my soul from Sheol,
    restored me to life from among those gone down to the Pit.
4 Sing praises to the Lord, O you his faithful ones,
    and give thanks to his holy name.
5 For his anger is but for a moment;
    his favor is for a lifetime.
Weeping may linger for the night,
    but joy comes with the morning.
6 As for me, I said in my prosperity,
    “I shall never be moved.”
7 By your favor, O Lord,
    you had established me as a strong mountain;
you hid your face;
    I was dismayed.
8 To you, O Lord, I cried,
    and to the Lord I made supplication:
9 “What profit is there in my death,
    if I go down to the Pit?
Will the dust praise you?
    Will it tell of your faithfulness?
10 Hear, O Lord, and be gracious to me!
    O Lord, be my helper!”
11 You have turned my mourning into dancing;
    you have taken off my sackcloth
    and clothed me with joy,
12 so that my soul may praise you and not be silent.
    O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you forever.

Back to School Sunday: Psalm 30

Since today is “Back to School Sunday” I’d like to talk to you about the difference between a teacher and an educator. Which one is better? Which one is more like God? And for those of us who are students, what should our response be, when we have been taught, when we have been educated? That’s where our Psalm today comes in, but first—to illustrate the point—a story.

At a small private school somewhere in America (not our school, of course!) the teachers were faced with a unique problem: A number of 12-year-old girls were beginning to use lipstick for the first time, and they would put it on in the bathroom. That was fine, but after they put on their lipstick they would press their lips to the mirror leaving dozens of little lip prints. Every night, the school custodian would clean the mirror, and the next day, the girls would put the lipstick marks back again. Several teachers tried their best to address the problem, asking the girls not to do this, and explaining to them at great length the extra work they were creating. All to no avail. The lipstick marks flourished on the bathroom mirror.

Finally, Mrs. Johnson (a true educator) decided that something had to be done. She called all the girls to the bathroom and met them there with the custodian. To show how difficult it had been to clean the mirrors, she asked the custodian to demonstrate his cleaning efforts. He took out a sponge on the end of a long handle, dipped the sponge in the toilet, and proceeded to clean the mirror with it. Since then, there have been no lip prints on the mirror.

There are teachers, and there are educators. What’s the difference?

The English word “teach” comes from the old Germanic word taikjan, which in turn comes from the Latin word *dico.* If you know Spanish, think of the Spanish word “dicho” which means to speak, say, or tell. So a teacher (originally) was someone who taught students, by speaking, telling, or explaining things to them. Many teachers today still do.

But an educator is a little bit different. The word educate comes to us directly from the Latin word *educere* which means to draw out, to lead out, or to lift up. The implication is that the educator recognizes what is already inside the student, and draws it out. Or another way to look at it—the educator sees where a student is, and lifts her up to a new perspective, where she can from her own conclusions.

Teaching assumes a void—the student is an empty vessel in need of filling up with information and explanations. Educating assumes a relationship, a back-and-forth interaction between two capable and intelligent beings.

Now would be a great time for us to pause and remember those great educators in our own lives who didn’t just tell us the answers, but who helped us to understand the questions, who led by example, and who trusted us to figure things out, gently and patiently nudging, provoking, and inspiring us where needed. Thanks be to God for them.