Pastor Devin Strong, Spirit of Peace Lutheran Church

My twin children are almost 30, so it has been quite some time since the school calendar ruled my home.

Still, the start of the school year is crucial in our culture.

At Spirit of Peace, Sunday School follows the academic calendar closely, as does our “program year.” On the liturgical calendar, the new year starts with the season of Advent, four Sundays before Christmas. On our regular calendar, of course, the new year begins on January first, but culturally speaking, I suggest that the new year really begins with each new school year.

So much happens in the Fall. The little ones start school for the first time, the grade-schoolers move up, and the older kids transition to middle school, high school, and college. It’s an exciting time full of huge transitions for all involved, and even if you are, like me, not directly affected by these academic transitions, there is a different feeling in the air. Yes, the thermometer still reads 90 degrees in South Georgia, but people come back from vacations, the pace of things picks up, and it’s time to roll up our sleeves and get to work.

That work is not just for teachers to teach and students to learn. It is for all of us to open our minds and our lives to new ideas. The best teachers do not just teach important dates in history, grammatical composition, or mathematical formulas. They teach us to see the world in ways outside our comfort zones. Likewise, good students don’t just memorize answers for tests.

We learn to turn problems inside out and chase new perspectives beyond our own lived experience. I have always been fascinated by how many more questions young people ask than older folks. Statistically speaking, our curiosity peeks when we are very young. Toddlers ask 200-300 significant questions every day. By the time we reach adulthood, that number dwindles to a paltry 25-30 questions (and a great many of those have to do with dinner!)

We all need season and chances for new beginnings.

This Fall is an opportunity for every single one of us, whether or not we are still in school, to open ourselves up to newness. We can all learn new things, read new books, meet new people, take up new hobbies, and ask better questions. Fall is a good time to grow.

On the liturgical calendar, we are deep into what Protestants call the Sundays After Pentecost. Roman Catholics call this Ordinary Time, but either way, there is green on the altar from mid-June to the end of October.

Green stands for growth--in this case, spiritual growth. You and I are not meant to spend our Sundays hearing Jesus’ teachings, parables, and healing stories the same way that we have always heard them, as if we already have all the answers. We are meant to open ourselves up to the new work of God in us. We are meant to change and grow. This is what this season is for.

So here’s to all the teachers, students, and everyone whose lives will be forever different because of a new school year. May each one of us embrace the newness that God is giving us.