Dancin' In September

September is a month in which the laid-back, easy-going, attitude of summer comes to a crashing halt and the reality of the school year emerges. The back-to-school shopping is done and all that’s left is to hop on the bus and on to the new reality of a brand-new year.

That’s true of me as a parent, but I think it’s also probably true of non-students and non-parents alike. At churches, we refer to it as the beginning of the program year. September is a return to normalcy, a return to rhythms, a return to the standard functions of everyday life.

Yes, September is truly the beginning of a new year.

But the problem with this is that we already have a day that marks the beginning of a new year, and that’s called “New Year’s Day.” And in the church, we already have a day that marks the beginning of the new year. It’s called Advent.

So, what’s the deal, September? What gives you the right to assume you’re entitled to be a new start as well? We already have enough new starts, and you want us to restart again? I don’t think so. What’s next, talking about new beginnings around Eastertime? Get out of here with that nonsense.

New starts are hard, so that means we could probably use fewer of them, right? Is it just me?

New starts can be quite hard, but maybe I should give some grace to September. New starts mean unknowns. New starts mean challenges. New starts mean we have to adjust to the newness.

We got pretty acclimated to this fact when we were younger and were forced, every year, to meet new people and start over in a new classroom. Every year, we would learn to navigate new personalities, perspectives, and dynamics, all while trying to develop a sense of our own self. It’s kind of staggering and I think we don’t give kids enough credit for this.

But as we grow up, we leave those new beginnings behind. Some of that is out of necessity, we don’t have something external like school to force us into these beginnings. But I think a large part of it is a choice that we make, whether out of fear or complacency.

Which makes it all the more remarkable when people are brave enough to start (or restart) something new in their lives. And as a church, we can celebrate these new beginnings because our faith tells us that God is continually making all things new. Maybe September isn’t going far enough. Why not make every day the start of a new school year throughout the month? Ok, probably not that, but even still we should remember that every day is a chance to start something new.

So do that new thing. Right now is the perfect time to do it. It’s September, after all!

Peace,

Rev. Jeff Fox-Kline