September 2, 2025
John Khouri
Head of School
Esteemed faculty and staff, members of the Board of Trustees, faithful parents and guardians, and especially, students:
Grace and peace to you all this morning. It is my great joy to welcome you to the official start of the 80th academic year of Lexington Christian Academy. Schools are often revered for their monumental impact on people and societies. But our school is not only a center of academic excellence; it’s a place marked by God’s faithfulness. 80 years of God’s faithfulness have brought us to this moment, a longevity that is less about age and more about purpose and community.
It is my honor to serve you as head-of-school, and I am grateful for the opportunity to speak a few words to you this morning and to open another chapter of this extraordinary journey. I wish you could see my view. It is a joy to look out and see God’s beautiful mosaic that is LCA. To our new students across all seven grades, I want to welcome you warmly. Whether you’re coming from across town or across the globe, I want you to hear this: Becoming begins here.
Each day at LCA is a step in your transformation. Each day at LCA, you will become more than you were the day before — intellectually, spiritually, personally. Each day at LCA, learning changes you, and community shapes you.
Students, I don’t remember who said this, but I like it: “Who you are today is God’s gift to you. Who you become is your gift to God.” And becoming begins here.
To our brand-new 6th Graders: Welcome to your new school! I remember my own 6th grade year. Everything felt huge: the lockers, the hallways, the desks, the whiteboards (or in my case, chalkboards because…old). Even the other students seemed huge. But by the end of the year, I felt as big as all of those things, and I know you will, too.
7th Graders, can you wave to the 6th Graders? 6th Graders, they were you, just a few months ago, and they did amazing things last year, and so will you.
I also want to say a special word to our 9th Graders. (Where are you, 9th?) Ladies and Gentlemen of the 9th Grade, you stand at the threshold of a new chapter in your education and in your growth as young men and women of character. In this moment, you begin the journey of high school, where your faith, your values, and your voice will be tested and shaped. I want you to know that we are here to walk with you on that journey from the very start.
So, let’s talk about how we live and learn as one community.
LCA offers modern, diverse and rigorous academics and applied academic experiences in a supportive environment, which prepares students to be competitive in college. At this very moment, members of the class of 2025 are launching into college careers of impact and influence at schools like Purdue, BU, Northeastern, MIT, BC, Princeton, Brandeis, UConn, Harvard, Michigan, Miami, and many others. But Jesus called His followers to be salt and light in the world, and so here at LCA, we take students on a journey of spiritual growth, led by our excellent Spiritual Growth Team. Spiritual growth is the active process of being transformed by the Holy Spirit. It involves responding to God’s call to maturity by engaging with Scripture and the Spirit every day. Parents, our students learn discipleship and Biblical discernment, and in the process, develop a primary and sustaining identity as a child of God, not the sum of their successes or failures.
As a Christian college preparatory school, our mission is to educate young men and women in the arts and sciences in the context of a complete commitment to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is these two pillars of academic heights and spiritual growth — experienced together, not separately — that will forever define our school. As a bishop of the early church wrote, “If but ten among us lead a holy life, we shall kindle a fire which shall light up the entire city.” Ten. Imagine what a few thousand LCA alumni can do and are doing! LCA is, in the words of Jesus, a shining city on a hill. I say this not out of pride or conceit, but to reveal the presence of God in our academic, artistic, and athletic pursuits.
You know, I loved school. I was the four-color-ink-in-one-pen kid, color-coding my notes. (If you know, you know, right, parents?) I still love learning, and I love a good debate. (Just ask my wife.) School changed me. It opened up my eyes to God’s creation. And along the way, I picked up a few simple lessons that might help you this year. Can I share them with you?
Great. Here we go:
Lesson #1: Always remember why you are in school. For those of you who may have an idea of what you want to do as a career, hold onto the vision of what today will mean to you tomorrow.
There is an old medical school saying which I love. Perhaps some of you parents who are medical professionals will know it. To keep medical students focused on the vision of who they will become — through years and years of classes and long hours interning and asking, “why am I doing this to myself?” — we remind them — and here’s the saying — One day, you will become someone’s hope, someone’s hero. Always remember why you are in school. Hold onto the vision of what today will mean to you tomorrow.
Lesson #2: Turn moments of stress into moments of prayer.
Jesus never promised a stress-free life, but He did promise to be with us always. So when the pressure hits — before a big game or a big class presentation or maybe in the middle of a hard conversation — take a breath and whisper a prayer. Let Jesus be your anchor in rough seas.
Lesson #3: Stand tall because you were made in God’s image.
That means before you’re a soccer player, artist, mathlete, or a musician, you are first and always a child of God. That is your truest identity.
Lesson #4: Aim higher and further than you think you can reach.
The poet Robert Browning said, “A person’s reach should exceed his grasp.” Brothers and sisters, to achieve something worthwhile, you must strive for goals that might seem beyond your ability. Even if you don’t get all the way there, you’ll surprise yourself and grow in the reaching.
Lesson #5: Every part of your life matters to God.
God sees you, He loves you, and He’s cheering you on like a proud parent at an elementary school talent show.
Lesson #6 comes from one of my heroes, Paul, in Romans chapter 12. His and my advice is this: Resist the pressure to “fit in” with the culture and values of this world when they contradict God’s truth. As Christians, we are called to be different in this way. Friends, my prayer and my expectation is that by accepting your place in LCA, you will hold the values of LCA in your hearts and represent them every day: Honor, Truth, Respect, Excellence, Partnership, and above all, Glorifying God.
And lastly, Lesson #7: See each other through God’s eyes.
Be a light to someone who needs it. Your kindness could be the turning point in their story. Amen!
Let’s pray:
Our Father in Heaven,
Thank You for waking us up today. As Your Word says in Lamentations, “Your mercy is new every morning,” and, Lord, we are ready to experience it in our lives on this morning and every day henceforth.
Father, we place our students in your hands, as you have placed them in ours. Be with them and us every day. Send down your compassions on us, make straight our path, and make firm our steps.
We surrender our school to you, dear Lord. May your kingdom come to LCA as it is in heaven.
Amen.
80 years ago (when phones had cords and tick-tock was the sound a clock made), those who came before us gave our school its earliest traditions of stewardship and community, and now it is in our hands. Parents, guardians, and grandparents in the room, we need you here, as volunteers, as cheerleaders, as prayer warriors, as vital partners in our mission. No invitation is required because this is your school, but in case you prefer an official invitation: You’re invited…to everything!
Community Events? Come in and take a seat.
Performances? Clap like no one is looking. (We are…)
Worship services? Amen and pass the tissues.
Art Gallery? Browse and nod like you get it.
Athletic fields? Bring your folding chair and yell like the Sox are beating the Yankees.
This is your community.
With that, and in my capacity as head-of-school, and with deep gratitude and excitement, I officially open the 2025-26 academic year. May your pencils be sharp, your erasers be plentiful, and your Wi-Fi be strong. May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon us and establish the work of our hands. May be it an outstanding year for all of you, guided by the love of Jesus Christ and of one another and a desire to honor God in all that you do.
Thank you.