Starting School

Recite [my words] to your children and talk about them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you rise. Bind them as a sign on your hand, fix them as an emblem on your forehead, and write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. Deuteronomy 6:7-9

Dear Friends in Christ,

The start of school is such an exciting time—especially for young children. On the first day of kindergarten, we send our kids to school with celebration and encouragement, all prepped and equipped with backpack and excitement. We want them to love school, and we are excited to see them learn and grow. 

How strange it would be for us to tell our kids “you don’t have to go to school every day.” We don’t say to teachers “well, it’s hard for them to get up in the morning.” We don’t think that going to school only a few days a year is OK—we don’t get stuck in excuses for why they should not go to school. No—we expect kids to go nearly every day. We are not scared to force our kids to go to school, indeed we rarely think of it as forcing. Perhaps it’s ‘just what we do,’ but I think that we set the expectation of school because we know that a steady course of school will bless our kids, help them learn and grow, help them learn how to learn, help them to develop in relationship with others, build character, be formed and shaped into thriving adults. We see the hope and blessing of school—why would we want anything different for them, every day?

Perhaps you see where I’m going with this… To thrive as Christians, we also need to learn and grow, we also need to be formed and shaped in spirit and in character and relationships. We also need to be reminded of what is true and who is to be honored above all things. Why would we neglect our relationship with God? Why would we short sell our Christian friendships that bless us and help us to thrive?

Regular attendance at school is not magic; engagement with learning and with teachers and peers is essential to growth. But without showing up, we don’t have that engagement at all. So it is with worship and the life of the church. When we commit to the regular practice of worship and study and service to God, and when we engage with God regularly each day, then we discover more blessings than we expected. We learn to recognize God’s voice, we learn to follow God in ways that strengthen us for the challenges of life. We learn to receive God’s grace and joy and wisdom.

The school metaphor breaks down at some point—we do not “graduate” from being disciples of Jesus. We keep on learning and growing and in fact teaching and encouraging others along the way. How will you commit to God this fall? What pattern of worship, study and service will you adopt? For you who live with family—how will you help your family adopt life-giving habits as well? It is as exciting and hope-filled as that first day of school, knowing that despite the challenges of life, the promises are far more powerful and durable.

God bless you in school and church this fall!

Yours in Christ,

-Tom