The summer has flown by, and all of a sudden it’s Back to School season. As teachers prepare their rooms and parents put together all their children’s school supplies, there is a sense of anticipation at the beginning of another academic year. Maybe some of the students are even excited to get back to school and back to a more regular routine, though I imagine they’re not quite so excited as their parents.
The start of the academic school year is also the start of our regular programming year at St. Mark’s. On Sunday, August 10, we’ll kick things off with Rally Day, and we’ll have a chance to learn about what Sunday School looks like for every age from Godly Play to adult education. Each week after, we’ll our classes will gather after worship. I’m looking forward to beginning with an exploration of what it means to be a Lutheran, and I hope many of you will join me.
Whether it’s Godly Play or Lutheran 101 or something else altogether, Christian Education is a vital part of discipleship. As Moses prepared the people to enter the Promised Land, he exhorted them to “Keep these words that I am commanding you today in your heart. Recite them 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 6:6-9). His hope was that God’s Word would be a constant presence in the lives of the people. In the same way, Jesus invites us to “Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me” (Matthew 11:29). We are never done learning and growing in God’s Word. There is also something new to strengthen us in faith, hope, and love.
I hope you’ll join us for Christian Education in the coming weeks and months. I hope it will be edifying to you as you continue to grow in your faith. May we enter into this Back to School season, both academically and congregationally, with excitement in our hearts as we consider how much there is still for all of us to learn.
Grace and Peace,
Pastor Will Starkweather
Last modified: August 19, 2025