Rev. Dr. Devin Strong

Spirit of Peace Lutheran Church

I can still remember the excitement I experienced as a kid this time of year when Mom would take me shopping for new school clothes, paper, pens, pencils, and a new trapper keeper (yes, I am THAT old!) 

Although it was strictly against the kid code of conduct to admit that I was looking forward to going back to school, I did look forward to it, not so much because I got bored with sunshine, summer, and swimming. It’s still my favorite season of the year. I secretly looked forward to going back to school because it was my annual shot at a new life--new teachers, new friends, and most of all, a new me.

I grew up in a large, Midwestern suburb so there were always new kids to meet at school. Several elementary schools poured into eight junior highs and into four high schools, so the classes got bigger, and my circle of friends got larger and larger. It was an exciting time of year when I had a chance to remake myself, forget the mistakes of the past, and be a different person, especially for those who had not met me yet. My wife had a very different experience. She grew up in an extremely small farming community where she lived, played, and went to school with the same kids year after year. Her experience of newness and rebirth did not come until she went away to college, but then how glorious it was!

We all need those chances to reset, opportunities to begin again with a clean slate. As adults, those opportunities seem fewer and farther between. We have to change jobs or spouses to get a major reset. Too often we grownups feel stuck in our old sins and bad habits, perhaps not because others are always throwing them up in our faces, but because we do not know how to let go and forgive ourselves. You and I can be victims of what Martin Luther called, “the silent accuser within us all.”

It is why we so desperately need the ministry of the church. In the Lutheran tradition, we begin every worship service by admitting our brokenness and mistakes. We confess out loud in front of God and everybody that we don’t have it all together. But then hear those fabulous words that “our sins are forgiven in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.”

Lutheran theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer was cautious about announcing such blanket forgiveness. He was concerned that perhaps believers could adopt an attitude of “cheap grace.” He worried that if Jesus’ forgiveness was offered too easily, then Christians could sin too casually and just wait for the Lord to wipe the slate clean again on Sunday morning.

My own experience suggests that life is hard, chances to trip up are everywhere, and you and I need all the absolution that we can get. True do-overs in life are rare, mostly because you and I will not let ourselves fully experience them with the grace that they are intended. So I say, let the new school year begin! Pray for teachers and students alike. Teachers also need a new start to do better. Let the mistakes of the past go and celebrate people as they get a new beginning and another chance to grow a little closer to the image of God that they were always meant to become. We all need that.

God Loves You, and So Do I!