Our Hope Filled Christian School

Hope is the first bold candle of advent that many church traditions will light to pierce the darkness next Sunday.

“I hope you remember to wear your snow pants.”

“I hope we have pizza for supper.”

“I hope that treatment will work for her.”

“I hope tomorrow will be a snow day.”

“I hope that the groceries last to the end of the month.”

It seems when we use that word, it shares a desired outcome or wish but doesn’t communicate confidence in a certain outcome at the same time.  A biblically grounded concept of hope runs deeper than a strong wish. The Bible assures us that our hope is a sure thing. Jesus has already won, and we are renewed creations! This world belongs to God, in its entirety and we are assured that there is nothing we can do and nowhere we can go that we can escape the Love of God. (Romans 8) What else do we need to know?

Christian schools, like ours, are places where that kind of hope is the anchor. Our Christian school teachers don’t see a group of students to manage for the day or even year, they also see future mechanics, engineers, mothers/fathers, social workers, electricians, politicians, web designers and accountants. They see them all with a grand vision implanted of hope for a world that is entangled with sin, but redeemed by Christ. Woven into the fabric of how the board and administration sustains this school is confident hope that God will provide for our parents, and as result bless our school with all its needs. Our children are free to embrace a certain hope in learning in these things: that this is God’s world, that Christ is enough, that they belong, and that they have a purpose in God’s kingdom.

We know the future will be great, because Christ is already there!

SJ

Teachable Moments At Our Christian School

Teachers, like parents of young students, listen to a tidal wave of questions and observations. Some of them amuse us, some challenge us, and sometimes the frequency of them can overwhelm our patience. Some perplex and surprise us, and some even sadden us as we realize that our students are meeting the reality of a fallen world in a new way. Other times we realize that we are challenged to reshape our own thoughts by the jubilant and faith-filled way our children respond to God's call. All of them are worth responding to; these are young minds looking for ways to unravel the truth found in God's world.

“But did it have to be like that? Couldn't God have made it work differently?” Why did God have to leave the possibility open for Adam and Eve to fall into sin? This was the classroom topic that I was privileged to hear concluding moments of. I'm convinced that many students left the class thinking differently after the teacher made the wise choice to pursue this “teachable moment” that arose spontaneously from the day's lesson.

There is so much more than skill development and content delivery going on in your child's classroom! Woven through the sum total of up to ten years of LCES education from K-8 are teachable moments that shape a child's worldview in ways that have implications through to eternity. I'm grateful that our qualified, Christian teachers seek out these opportune moments to help our students develop a discerning mind, a compassionate heart, and a willing spirit for service. Pray often for your child's teacher in this vital role they play in “equipping them for a life of faithful, Christian discipleship.” LCES Vision Statement

SJ

Guiding our Children: Remembrance at Our Christian School

 

Sometimes an unexpected moment gives you a visual that will last you a lifetime.

While leading a grade eight class through the Ottawa area, a scene captured my full attention. In his youthful exuberance and innocent lack of awareness of its significance, a kindergarten-aged child was taking great delight in jumping and climbing all over the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in its prominent spot near parliament hill. My first response was one of shock at the seemingly brazen disrespect of the sanctity of the place. But how could he possibly understand where he was and what as beneath him? I could not see a parent in sight as I watched this young child trace the edges of the bronze helmet and sword atop the thick slab of cold granite. His eyes wandered up to the group of war-weary soldiers watching from high above on the monument. His boisterous activity immediately stopped as he stared intently at the figures. It was plainly clear that he was trying to figure out what this was all about.

The act of remembrance, deliberately choosing to tell the stories of sacrifice and the often hard-won gift of peace, is so very important. We do so to recognize, honour, and thank those who have given of themselves in the past. We do so in order to remind ourselves of what we personally don’t experience daily. We do so because the next generation, like the young boy at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, won’t “just know” on their own what this is all about and why it matters.  

With help from their teachers, our students will be offered the chance this week to step out of regular routines and the familiarity of their predictable, safe lives. When we pause during Remembrance Day for a moment of silence we meet the devastating extent of sin, the world’s need of a Saviour, and the hope of renewed creation where all wars will cease. I’m thankful our students were given this opportunity to say “I choose to remember.”

SJ