School’s out for a lot of our students here today.  “School’s out for summer.  Schools out forever.  School’s been blown to pieces.”  I was thinking about school and how it’s changed over the years when someone sent me this little comparison in an email.

  HIGH SCHOOL -- 1957 vs. 2010

 Scenario 1:

Jack goes quail hunting before school and then pulls into the school parking lot with his shotgun in his truck's gun rack.

1957 - Vice Principal comes over, looks at Jack's shotgun, goes to his car and gets his shotgun to show Jack.

2010 - School goes into lock down, FBI called, Jack hauled off to jail and never sees his truck or gun again. Counselors called in for traumatized students and teachers.  

Scenario 2:

Johnny and Mark get into a fist fight after school.

1957 - Crowd gathers. Mark wins. Johnny and Mark shake hands and end up buddies.

2010 - Police called and SWAT team arrives -- they arrest both Johnny and Mark. They are both charged them with assault and both expelled even though Johnny started it. 
 

Scenario 3:

Billy breaks a window in his neighbor's car and his Dad gives him a spanking.


1957 - Billy is more careful next time, grows up normal, goes to college and becomes a successful businessman.

2010 - Billy's dad is arrested for child abuse. Billy is removed to foster care and joins a gang. Billy’s sister tells the state psychologist that she remembers being abused herself and their dad goes to prison. Billy's mom has an affair with the psychologist.  
 

Scenario 4:

Mark gets a headache and takes some aspirin to school.

1957 - Mark shares his aspirin with the Principal out on the smoking dock.

2010   - The police are called and Mark is expelled from school for drug violations. His car is then searched for drugs and weapons.  

Scenario 5:

Johnny takes apart leftover firecrackers from the Fourth of July, puts them in a model airplane paint bottle and blows up a red ant bed.

1957 - Ants die.

2010 - ATF, Homeland Security and the FBI are all called. Johnny is charged with domestic terrorism. The FBI investigates his parents -- and all siblings are removed from their home and all computers are confiscated. Johnny's dad is placed on a terror watch list and is never allowed to fly again.  

Scenario 6:

Johnny falls while running during recess and scrapes his knee. He is found crying by his teacher, Mary. Mary hugs him to comfort him.

1957 - In a short time, Johnny feels better and goes on playing.

2010- Mary is accused of being a sexual predator and loses her job. She faces 3 years in State Prison.  Johnny undergoes 5 years of therapy.

This is not your grandfather’s school.  Education has changed since some of us were in high school, hasn’t it?  But education hasn’t changed all that much in God’s school as we’re going to learn this morning.  Samuel anointed David to be the next King of Israel but David didn’t become king immediately.  He had to wait.  Why did he have to wait?  He had to wait because he wasn’t ready yet.  First, David had to go to a special school for leaders: God’s school of brokenness.