First Day

Maybe kids are going to sleep more easily tonight. The first day of school is completed, the jitters have been lessened, and the goals for the year have been presented. The best thing about the first day of school is that everyone starts with a clean slate. There haven’t been any lost books or assignments, no grades deemed biased, no troubled calls to parents, and no surprise exams. It’s a honeymoon period where the possibilities outweigh reputations, both sides giving the other the benefit of doubt. Everyone comes with freshly-scrubbed faces and clean-smelling hair all on the same day. Teachers are eager to use skills that have been gained through workshops and to share new ideas achieved through study. There is an awareness of real growth as students graduate to a new grade, a new school, and a higher level of learning. It’s a time of fellowship and reconnection as summer stories are shared and memories repeated. It’s a time rich with hope.

My prayer for the congregation?

Dear God, You are the hope of the world! We come to you eager to sit at your feet and learn. You take us as we are, and know that anything is possible, that we can meet any goal you have set. Please don’t underestimate our mark! We long to please you and long to grow as Christ followers. Let us begin anew, wiping away our disbelief, our disappointments, our disagreements, to believe that starting today we can learn to do better, to be better, and to love better. Let us become tutors to one another, helping each other when needed. Let us keep hope alive! Amen