Sunday Sermon

The following post was not written with the intention of being posted on this blog. I was asked to fill in for our pastor this Sunday morning and deliver the message during worship.  After worship this morning I realize that my message was indeed a reflection on what is going on in my classroom.  For this reason, I have chosen to publish by thoughts here.  Feel free to pass it on.

Focus, Focus, Focus

By Kristine Houghtalen

     I was hoping to be here this morning with a sermon that was based on a critical analysis of a scripture that I had challenged myself to read and study.  I was planning on choosing a verse that I had never really considered before and try to breathe life into it.  The problem is it is September and I am a teacher and a mother.  As you can imagine my days and nights have been filled with lesson planning, bulletin boards to decorate, student’s summer homework, student assessments, figuring out how my students learn, who can sit next to each other and who can’t, back to school night with parents to impress and this year, learning how to use blogging and other technology to foster learning in the classroom.  We have only finished our 3^rd week of school and my son has already missed 5 days of school because he was ill!  So, now I am trying to keep on top of him and his teachers to make sure he is caught up on missed work.   The thing is though; I am really good at multitasking.  The busier I am, the more I seem to take on.  I thrive on the challenge of keeping those balls that I am juggling in the air.  On the other hand, I am exceptional at procrastinating!  And that is just what I did with preparing for this morning, I put it off.  Just let me get through the first week of school.  Then, just let me get through our meet the teacher night.  Then wait, I need to plan lessons too.  As the days went by, I began to panic.  I still had no idea what I was going to talk about.  And then those emails began to come.  The emails from Reverend Wolter asking for the scripture I had chosen and the title of my message.  I tried to ignore them, but he was persistent.  I thought I really don’t have time for this.  Why did I agree to this at this time of year?

            As I struggled with my frustration to focus on my plans for this morning, I realized that this was not a problem unique to me.  Looking at the lives of my friends and family and co-workers, it is obvious that their lives are just as crazy as mine.  The balls we are juggling may be of different shapes, sizes, and colors, but we are all part a great juggling act.  Maybe you’re a parent trying to keep up with your children’s many activities, or it is your job that is pulling you in different directions. Maybe you are caring for someone who needs your constant attention or maybe you volunteer your time in the community or are involved in various community organizations.  Perhaps it is even your church that is placing many demands on you.  It seems that life has taken on a speed that is somewhat out of control.

            This year in my school, I have fallen into the position of spearheading our initiative to incorporate using technology in innovative ways to enhance student learning.  I feel as though I have fallen off a cliff into the world of social media and blogging.  If you haven’t ventured into this world, you may not realize how fast information is moving around the planet and beyond.  And I mean beyond!  We have even been linking up with astronauts on the International Space Station.  It is absolutely fascinating the knowledge and connections that are at our fingertips.  Last Monday I had the opportunity to join something called a twitter chat.  I finally figured what those #s are for!   It was a group of Lutheran educators who were discussing different ways to develop a passion for professional development.  I spent an hour trying to keep up with the flurry of activity.  There were so many posts and conversations going on, my head was spinning.  But, at the end of it, I realized that I was able to “meet” many other teachers who had great ideas that allowed me to connect with even more people with more ideas.  The ball has begun rolling, and it’s getting bigger every day.  I’m still juggling, but as the balls get bigger, it is getting harder and harder to keep them in the air. 

    As I shared my experiences with a friend, he asked me if I thought that perhaps being that connected might lead me to burnout quickly. Even though I was feeling exhilarated about what I was learning about being connected to the world, I had to stop a minute and evaluate that question.  Is the fact that we can take this little phone from our pocket and reach out across the world opening up a world of possibilities or is it leading us to exhaustion?  If Jesus was alive in this day of social media, how would it affect his ministry?  Would it be a dynamic way to reach the masses, or would his voice have been lost in the chaos?  I think many of us right now are lost in the chaos.  We recognize the power we hold in our hand, but we are either too afraid of it, or we have not learned to follow the map through the vast land of social media.  We play, we tinker, and we get lost in it.

     Back to my friend’s question, does being constantly connected lead to burnout and exhaustion? I think it is definitely something we need to be aware of.

     By now, you might be asking yourself, what does all this have to do with this morning’s scripture from Colossians?  Well the answer is not much…and everything.  If our lives are moving at such a rapid pace, how do we stay focused on what is important?  How do we prevent ourselves from feeling burnt out and exhausted?  It is extremely difficult to do on our own.  We get caught up in the rip tide of life, and we need to reach out for help.   Well, think about it, there is no better life ring than the words of our holy scripture.

            I am very lucky to work where I do. Working for a Lutheran School, I am forced to stay focused. We pray every morning at the beginning of the school day and we pray every afternoon at the end of the school day.   Every Wednesday at 10am I bring my students to chapel.  With all the scheduling and have tos in school, this is the one thing that no one ever complains about.  Even though our chapel is designed for young children, it is a time to slow down and focus on what is important.  We also choose a scripture each year that is our theme or focus for the year.  It permeates everything we do.  We discuss it with our students; we use it with our disciple, and use it in devotions during faculty meetings.  Yes, we get to pray at faculty meetings. I told you, I am very lucky to work in a Christian school!  Whether I like it or not, this scripture becomes the foundation for my school year.  As you might have guessed, this year’s scripture is from the book of Colossians, chapter 1, verse 10. In this scripture, the Apostle Paul is praying for the people of Colosse, people he had never met.

            “ so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God,”

     What a great focus for our lives.  Wouldn’t it be comforting to know someone was praying this with you in mind?  Live a life worthy of the Lord, be fruitful in your good work, and gain knowledge of God.

    This scripture is an extension of last year’s scripture focus, Galatians 5:22-23,.  This scripture identifies the fruit of the spirit: Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self -control.    So when I hear the words from Colossians: be fruitful in your good work, to me that means that every choice I make, every interaction I have, I must do so through one of these 9 fruits.  It seems very `simple, and it really is.  I challenge you to familiarize yourself with 9 ideals listed as the fruits of the spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self- control.  You might have read them before. You might even have something at home that lists them, a coffee mug, plaque, a greeting card.  The challenge is not in reading them, but in living them.  If you ask any of our students about the fruits of the spirit, not only will they rattle them off to you without hesitation, but they will explain to you how they use them to reach their goals, interact with each other, or maybe how they forgot to use them on the playground.  They are our guide in praising our students and if need be disciplining them.  And just like by teaching my students to do mental math, my mental math skills have increased, by teaching my students how to focus on the fruits of the spirit, I to have become more focused.  As I said, I am very lucky to work in a Christian school!

    Our lives are crazy, there is no doubt.  Information is flying around this planet at speeds we never could have imagined a few years ago.  We are all sometimes just trying to keep up without getting lost in a world of virtual reality, but it does not mean that there is no life line. 

     Find a piece of scripture that inspires you, and can guide you to a more purposeful life.  Colossians 1:10 is a great place to start, or maybe buy that coffee mug with the fruits of the spirit listed on it.  Claim it as your own and remember to visit with it often.  I have the fruits of the spirit listed in bold words both in the front and back of my class this way both my students and I can keep focused throughout the day and throughout the year.

     So, if you happen to be my friend on facebook or if you follow me on twitter, you will see me posting more often as I search for ways to globally connect with others. And if you see me on Sunday morning on my cell phone during worship, please don’t judge me. I am not lost in the world of social media.   I am focusing on the morning’s scripture reading because like everything else, there is an app for that!