A New Start!
This Sunday, September 7th, we begin a brand new year and a brand new start. Ironically, the start of a new church year is with the first Sunday of Advent and the start of the secular calendar is January 1st, but Christian Education generally follows the school systems’ calendar…so now that students have started a brand new school year, Sunday School and Youth Groups will begin a brand new year too.
George Kissick will be traveling around to each of the classes during the Sunday School hour (9:30 a.m.) with his camera to update our photos. Perhaps you’ve already noticed, but a lot has changed since we last took the photos posted outside our classroom doors. Christian Education Team would like to encourage everyone to make great efforts to attend Sunday School this week. Let’s make those photos full!
But, more than that, Christian Education Team would like to emphasize the incredible importance of CHRISTIAN EDUCATION and BIBLICAL STUDY! We may achieve degrees to finish our secular educations, and some will actually go back many times to attain advanced degrees, but Christian Education is different. EACH and EVERY one of us should pretend like we are seeking doctorate degrees when it comes to studying our faith and learning how to be a follower of Christ.
The New Testament is filled with stories of how Jesus walked through his earthly life preaching, teaching and healing those he encountered on his way. Many moments are comprised of him quoting scripture and showing the crowds who gathered around him a new way of interpreting those texts so that humanity might more abundantly know God. Those few years which chronicled his ministry do not represent the decades he likely spent studying scripture and learning from local Rabbis and Elders. Jesus was FULLY human. He learned just as we learn and he knew the importance of study because when he encountered the Pharisees he could articulate, postulate and apply the texts to the events of his day. As followers, we are to seek to do the same.
One could even argue that harm done in the name of faith is often accomplished by the hands of individuals who ‘completed’ their faith education at a very early age and failed to allow for maturity and personal experiences of God to temper their zeal. Each of us must be adamant about our study and educational life on an ongoing basis in order to engage the world at large to become Christ’s hands, feet, eyes, ears, mouth and heart in this hurting world.
Blessings,
Tracy