The Old Testament Lesson from this past weekend was from the book of Jeremiah. As you know, Jeremiah was a prophet who was commanded by God to show the sins of the people of Israel and the consequences that would occur. Because of his (God's) message, he was beaten, threatened with his life, and imprisoned among other things. In the verse above, people heard the message and seized him saying "You must die!" Thankfully, as Christian educators in America we are not faced with this type of opposition. However, the message we share, the message of our sinfulness and God's forgiveness, is opposed in different ways. During my time at Mount Olive, a first grade parent took issue with the memory work that her son was assigned for the week. The passage, from Romans 6:23 is a familiar one to us, "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." The mother was upset that her son was being taught that the price of our sinfulness is death. She challenged the teacher and eventually myself on this assignment. She got so caught up in the "Law" portion of the verse that she didn't notice/understand/realize the "Gospel" portion (the gift of God is eternal life). We all have these stories. Students and parents in our buildings oppose the message we have been Called to share. They are minor oppositions, to be sure, compared to the opposition that Jeremiah faced, but they are oppositions nonetheless. Our Calling as Christian Educators is not easy, but it is our duty, responsibility, and honor to share the love of God with all...even in the midst of opposition.