Yep, it’s that time of year. Buses are rolling, traffic has picked up in the mornings and early afternoon, and next thing you know there will be new stories of drama in a lot of households. Our youngest is a senior this year, so we’re almost past all of that. For those whose school days are long gone, I imagine there’s still a sense of change that comes with summer ending. Maybe you hated school and were glad it was done and are happy to never see a classroom ever again. I felt that way after seminary, but then I wanted to go back eight years later. God is funny.

All this reminds me that we’re all learners, even if we’re not in a classroom. Each stage in life comes with new challenges that we have to navigate and new experiences to make sense of. It can be tiring—especially the new challenges. Sometimes I long for “boring,” routine, and stability. But new challenges can also be exciting; they come with a sense of possibility, of something better, even of hope. And new experiences—they will happen whether we want them or not. Like starting Jr. High being the shortest kid in 7th grade (that was me). Or decades later having my mom die. Of course, not every new experience is bad; becoming a parent and watching my oldest graduate from college. I know a full life isn’t just having a lot of “experiences” but integrating them into a God-given whole, a whole “picture” of who I’ve been created to be in the life God has given me.

All of that is “learning.” We are all “students” and God is our “teacher” (Matthew 23:8-12). It’s the classroom of life. I have been privileged to learn from the best—you, my parishioners! All those opportunities of spiritual growth come with “spiritual learning.” And I don’t just mean Bible studies or discussion groups. It can happen over coffee or a phone call. It happens anytime “two or more are gathered in Christ’s name” (Matthew 18:20). We are always learning!

Peace,
Pr. Christian