I may be dating
myself, but I can clearly recall watching the musical Fiddler On The Roof about Russian Jews at the turn of the 20th century. The main character, Tevye the milkman, asks his wife if she loves him. Her rather dry, irrated response was to name all the things she has done for
him: milked his cows, cooked his meals, cleaned his house, had his many
children, ate with him, starved with him. “If that isn’t love what is?”
was her quick answer in a dismissive tone. What Tevye was asking for, and
eventually got, was an answer that communicated love was the first, rather than
the last, principle that defined their relationship.
Teachers will become
students this Thursday morning as they travel to Ancaster to be part of a
gathering of hundreds of Christian educators for a two-day conference held at
the Redeemer University College campus. This annual conference has always been
a highlight for me as an educator. It comes after about seven weeks of school
and offers a chance to leave the classroom to be challenged, encouraged, and
energized for the return back the following Monday. Being with that many
educators in workshops together affords us times of collaboration, innovation,
and professional networking with people from across the province and beyond. It
is a wonderful time of growth and learning. The singing is often a highlight
for many.
“Leading with
Love” is the theme chosen for these two days this year, with two
presentations husband and wife team Steven & Joanna Levi. Their message will remind us that Jesus
became the new covenant and declared that he was making all things new, and
that “in him all things hold together” ( Colosians 1:15-17). Believing that
everything we do finds its purpose in God, and in light of the new covenant of
God, we wish to challenge ourselves to go beyond obedience and toward love.
What does this mean
for us at LCES? We want to challenge students to go beyond simply following in
obedience and be compelled to do what they do because love takes over. Love for
Christ, love for God’s amazing world, and love for each other. When love has
taken over and “we have to” is replaced with “I want to”, we know we are
getting there.
Praise God for an
opportunity like this for our teachers. SJ
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