A Teaching Community

Psalm 19; James 3: 1-12
by Rev. Carson Overstreet
Van Wyck Presbyterian Church
September 13, 2015

Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers and sisters, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness. For all of us make many mistakes. Anyone who makes no mistakes in speaking is perfect, able to keep the whole body in check with a bridle. If we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we guide their whole bodies. Or look at ships: though they are so large that it takes strong winds to drive them, yet they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great exploits.

How great a forest is set ablaze by a small fire! And the tongue is a fire. The tongue is placed among our members as a world of iniquity; it stains the whole body, sets on fire the cycle of nature, and is itself set on fire by hell. For every species of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by the human species, but no one can tame the tongue—a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse those who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this ought not to be so. Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and brackish water? Can a fig tree, my brothers and sisters, yield olives, or a grapevine figs? No more can salt water yield fresh. - James 3: 1-12


Rita Pierson has been a teacher for forty years. She comes from a long line of teachers. In May of 2013 she shared her passion for teaching on TED talks, a website for sharing ideas. TED stands for “Technology Entertainment Design.” I love hearing motivational speeches on all different topics on TED.com. I was moved by what Rita Pierson shared and this is a portion of her story:

Over the years I've had a chance to look at education reform from a lot of perspectives. Some of those reforms have been good. Some of them have been not so good. We know why kids drop out. We know why kids don't learn. It's either poverty, low attendance, negative peer influences... We know why. But one of the things that we never discuss or we rarely discuss is the value and importance of human connection. Relationships.

James Comer says that no significant learning can occur without a significant relationship. George Washington Carver says all learning is understanding relationships. Everyone in this room has been affected by a teacher or an adult.

Some people think that you can either have it in you to build a relationship, or you don't. I think Stephen Covey had the right idea. He said you ought to just throw in a few simple things, like seeking first to understand, as opposed to being understood.
One year I came up with a bright idea. I told all my students, "You were chosen to be in my class because I am the best teacher and you are the best students, they put us all together so we could show everybody else how to do it."

One of the students said, "Really?" (Laughter)

I said, "Really. We have to show the other classes how to do it, so when we walk down the hall, people will notice us, so you can't make noise. You just have to strut." (Laughter)

And I gave them a saying to say: "I am somebody. I was somebody when I came. I'll be a better somebody when I leave. I am powerful, and I am strong. I deserve the education that I get here. I have things to do, people to impress, and places to go." And they said, "Yeah!"

Teaching and learning should bring joy.



There are two things I love about Rita Pierson’s TED talk. I love her sense of passion for teaching and I love that her vision for education hinges upon relationships. These two things are also integral to what James is sharing with the church in our text today.

James recognizes how important teachers are in the community of his time. The teachers of the first century held a lot of responsibility for shaping the minds and hearts of people. Daily life and faith were closely tethered together in the early church, as opposed to the ways we compartmentalize daily life and faith today. And yet James’ words come to us almost as a warning, “Not everyone should become teachers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness” (verse 1).

I have to say that James’ words are not the best promotion as we kick off the new Christian Education year today! Many of us get a little nervous about being asked to teach a Sunday School class or lead a small group. The responsibility to know the curriculum we are going to teach is exciting but usually comes with a learning curve. The perception to know the Bible inside and out is intimidating for many. And if we do not have a good working knowledge of Scripture then we feel inadequate to be called a teacher. The struggle is real for all of us.

Let me assure you of three things today as we kick off this new year of learning together. Hear this word of encouragement.

First, we are all students of faith. No one here today is expected to be a scholar of the Good Book. The psalmist in today’s text reminds us that we all can glean faith lessons from the heavens as they tell the glory of God (Psalm 19:1). We are to go through the life of faith as a movable feast to savor God’s Word, for it is sweeter than honey (Psalm 19:10). If we think of the span of life as God’s classroom to follow in God’s ways, then there is great reward (Psalm 19:11). As we journey together through this adventure of faith, we take each step in prayer to ask God that the words of our mouths and the meditations of all our hearts might be acceptable in God’s sight; for God is our rock and redeemer (Psalm 19:14). That is our base line as students of faith no matter our age or our location of life.

Second, we are to remember that all learning and teaching should bring joy. Rita Pierson conveyed that in her TED talk and at the root of her words was a sense of passion for teaching. As we begin this new Christian Education year I want to ask you as a community of faith AND as individuals – what is your passion? What makes you get out of bed each day with a sense of excitement? What makes your heart sing? What is your God-given gift that you love to share with others?

We don’t need to make our reflection difficult. Maybe you have the gift of sharing your faith. Maybe you have the gift of holding another person’s pain. Maybe you have the gift of number crunching. Maybe you have the gift of coming alongside people to help them feel welcomed. Maybe you have the gift of music. Maybe you have the gift of building things. Maybe you have the gift of cooking bar-b-que.

When we think about our communal and individual passions it reminds us of something very important. We all have something to learn from one another. We each have gifts to share that God has bestowed to build up the body of Christ. God’s greatest desire is to weave our passions together to reveal Christ’s presence among us. Our passions are used for God’s glory. We feel God’s pleasure when we use our God’s given gifts in everyday life.

Third, we are to remember that God’s vision for us to grow in faith hinges upon relationships. I like how Rita Pierson said it. We should first seek to understand instead of forcing ourselves to be understood. When we first seek to understand it places us in a posture of humility. That posture of humility creates the necessary space to learn from one another’s view points and passions. It gives us an attitude of gratitude. It is a lens to see one another as a child of God and as a student of faith. It reminds us that we have been chosen by the best teacher, our rabbi and Savior Jesus Christ, to be a better somebody when we go out from God’s house into the community and world.

We would be remiss if we didn’t acknowledge James’ words of warning regarding relationships. It is usually the small things in life that can cause us to have communication breakdowns in our communal and individual relationships. I think when James was talking about the power of the tongue in today's text he was talking about the fragile sense of our relationships. The condition of human sin taints all that we think, say, and do. It causes us to deviate from God’s ways and to focus more upon our own will. If we prioritize our passions or ways of doing things above someone else’s then we lose our focus on God’s intentions for the good of the whole. We compromise our call to mutual understanding. We jeopardize the unity of the gospel at work among us.

Today we are called to be a teaching community. We share in God’s common call to learn from our Rabbi and Savior, to learn from one another, and to understand the importance of relationships. May we remember that we are all students of faith. May we remember that all learning and teaching should bring joy because we all have a passion or spiritual gift to share. May we remember that we are connected through relationships with God and one another.

My hope is that during this new Christian Education year we all will have a deeper assurance that we have been chosen by the best Teacher to grow deeper roots of faith in God’s great classroom of life. I hope that we are becoming stronger through God’s love, Jesus’ grace, and the Spirit’s presence. I hope that as we go out into the community and world, others might take notice of what God is doing here through us and among us.

In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.


Rita Pierson, "Every Kid Needs a Champion," May 2013 at TED talks
https://www.ted.com/talks/rita_pierson_every_kid_needs_a_champion?language=en