Chaplain’s Corner

By Dave Curnow, Senior School Chaplain

Students, staff and families from Junior, Middle and Senior schools come together each year for the Whole School Easter Service to celebrate the message that Jesus saves.

This year’s message of Easter centred around two stories which explain the importance of being still and acknowledging that God, through Jesus Christ, is the saviour of the world today. In John’s Gospel in chapter 20:1-9, we learnt that Mary Magdalene looked for Jesus but his body was not there. The whole Easter message hinges upon the fact that Jesus saves and that he rose from the grave. The absolute Gospel truth is based upon this personal testimony of faith. The second focus at our Easter Service was a commitment to be still as Christians. Once we have faith, it is important to reflect upon God’s will in our lives. Christian meditation takes many forms and we can choose to reflect upon God’s creation in many ways.

For some, being still can sometimes mean we are on the move in our own personal space, in nature or respectfully closing other people away. This is most evident at times when we worship and pray for global, regional and local communities, before finishing with the Lord’s prayer or a time of silence.

Singers from the Junior School perform at the Easter Service.

John 20:1 – It was very early on the first day of the week and still dark.

Psalm 46:10 – Be still and know that I am God.

Many Christians have experiences which explain the existence of a Creator God and an acknowledgement of Christ the saviour. For example, Year 12 student Wamud Phillips sings a song from his Aboriginal community that relates to God the Creator and the message that Jesus saves. Wamud sings and rejoices through his first language, Kuwinjku. The College has also been strengthening its community service program and aims for students to be able to develop a space at Uniting Narana to volunteer and care for the broader community. A group of 15 to 20 students have identified where they would like to volunteer and how they may be useful in a sensitive long-term commitment to others and the environment in which we live. It has been a time to be still and build a strong base to move forward. We look forward to continued fellowship and conversations about building stronger foundations and implementing these projects. Go well always, God Bless.

The College community gathers on Main Oval at Senior School for the 2019 Easter Service.