Hope and our Christian School

Did you know that two billion of the eight billion people on this planet don't have access to reliable electricity? Fuels for light are expensive, so darkness is part of their life in a different way than ours. It seems their reality is perhaps closer to the world of the people of Israel as prophecies of Isiah mentioned "for those who live in a land of deep darkness, a light will shine." (Isaiah 9)

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

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! That is what we celebrate this Christmas.

SJ

Walking Straight and Christian Education At LCES

I listened to a humorous podcast that talked about a series of experiments that were conducted in 1920’s and 1930’s about the ability of humans to walk straight without the benefit of sight. While blindfolded, and in several different locations, repeated attempts were made to have someone move straight from fixed point to fixed point without curving off to the side. Most test subjects were able to start off very accurately but, without a visual reference point, would veer off and eventually find themselves close to where they started. Results were much better when there was someone else speaking to them to give them an auditory reference point to gauge their progress.

What a great illustration for living together and having a place to belong as a part of learning. We need each other! Without the gift of others, we can easily veer off and find ourselves off track, or even worse, not make any progress. God’s gift of community is a blessing to us when we feel the nudge of the Holy Spirit though the words of others and feel comforted or inspired by their actions. We come to realize that we need one another more than we might have known, and are surprised by joy and the coming kingdom when we feel God working in us through others.   

May our children learn to walk well as they listen to voices around them at LCES.

SJ 

The Pain in Remembrance

On behalf of the school, my family and I laid a wreath at the downtown cenotaph last Saturday during the Remembrance Day proceedings. Gratitude for service and the high cost of freedom were certainly foremost in our minds as we wore our poppies and bowed our heads. The tears, barren tree branches, thousands standing in silence reminded us of the raw reality -wars and fighting remain, guns have not been silenced. We lament that conflict abounds nearby and far away from our home and native land. 

The grade three class led a service in in our school gym on Friday. Spoken words, songs, and visuals during the student-led chapel affirmed that we need to  “let the peace of Christ rule in [our] hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace.” (Colossians 3:15) 

That peace seems very elusive. Human suffering continues in the hands of tyrants, and so many wait for the kind of justice and peace that Christ commanded. Is there hope?

Yes! That peace of Christ comes to us as we pattern our lives after his gospel. I’m so thankful that the “message of Christ” is part of life here at LCES in the devotional and learning parts of every day. The coming kingdom of God with justice and peace for all is what we work for every day in each lesson and conversation, each challenge and success. May our students grow in wisdom that propagates peace and returns our world back to way God originally created it – beautiful, perfect, and filled with peace.  

The hope of advent is just around the corner.

SJ

Silent Guests in Grade Three

Grade three has been excited to have "guests" with them for much of this fall. These guests turn waste into something of value? Students check in on their guests frequently to see how they are doing, but never hear a peep from them. 

Who are these guests? Worms!

A worm hotel of sorts has been active in grade three this fall. Students are adding scraps, moisture, and are  turning the soil from time to time to watch how these decomposers work. This is an ongoing effort while students have been deep in the study of the distinction between dirt and soil as they learn about how God designs soil systems to work, and how we have responsibilities to be wise stewards. 

This is memorable learning that links students to God's amazing world. I can't help but wonder if this will be one of the things they recall later in life about their elementary school years. I'm thankful for these tangible, hands-on ways in which our students have the chance to grow. 

And I'm thankful for God's gift of worms. 

SJ