We’re off into this new year… students have returned to classrooms, routines have settled back into place, and many of us have found ourselves re-learning old rhythms after the holidays. In so many ways, January is a season of learning again: how to focus, how to listen, how to grow.
That makes this week’s focus especially fitting: LEARN.
Learning has always been close to my heart, not just because of my calling as a pastor, but because it runs deep in our family. My wife, Carol, spent 14 years in the classroom shaping middle-school minds and hearts, and she now continues that work through her work with Junior Achievement, strengthening and supporting our school systems. My mom and my mother-in-law are both retired elementary school teachers. Across generations, I’ve watched learning happen not only through textbooks and lesson plans, but through patience, repetition, encouragement, and love.
And that’s exactly the kind of learning Scripture invites us into.
This year, my star word is “know.” Not know as in information alone, but know as Scripture understands it: relational, formative, lived. To know God is not simply to know facts about God; it is to live inside God’s story. It’s to allow God’s Word to shape how we think, love, decide, and act.
This Sunday, we’ll explore how learning Scripture is not about cramming for a test or memorizing answers, but about formation. The Bible was never meant to sit on a shelf or be skimmed for soundbites. From Deuteronomy’s call (ch. 11:18-21) to place God’s words on our hearts and hands, to Jesus’ insistence (Matthew 22:34-40) that loving God includes loving God with our minds, Scripture invites us into a way of life that is practiced, embodied, and lived out in everyday rhythms.
And with the way things are going in our public life and broader society, some of you have already asked, and some of you may be wondering and asking, “What can I learn, and what can I do to help?” Faithful learning doesn’t stop at Scripture alone; it also shapes how we live, engage, and love our neighbors in the world God so deeply loves.
That’s why I want to invite you to a “Lunch & Learn” this Sunday, January 25, immediately following worship:
Civics for Change Makers
We’ll welcome Chris Card, former CEO of Hillsborough Kids Inc., longtime children’s lobbyist, and fellow St. Luker, for a 60-minute, practical session designed to demystify how our democracy works and help you engage it thoughtfully and with confidence. Chris will cover civic basics, how to research candidates using trustworthy sources, and meaningful ways to participate beyond Election Day, including how to communicate with elected officials and follow-up on the issues that matter most to you.
Schedule:
- 11:00 a.m.–11:30 a.m.– Check-in and lunch in the Youth Center
- 11:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.– Civics for Change Makers with Chris Card
Lunch is provided – register today!
Learning happens through skills and drills, through showing up again and again. Just like learning an instrument, a sport, or a craft, faith is formed through practice. Reading. Interpreting. Discerning. Living. Over time, God’s Word shapes our instincts until love becomes our reflex.
So, as we return to school, to work, and to worship, my invitation is simple: make room to learn again. Come curious. Come open. Come ready…to hear Scripture and to be shaped by it.
Join us this Sunday, as we begin this journey together. Let’s learn, not simply to know more, but so we learn how to live more fully in God’s love.
With love,
Pastor Corey
