Diversity and perseverance

A testimony to the fact that diversity is a wonderful thing, is the way in which every classroom is different. Different interpretations, different ways of approaching things, all of which make teaching, a unique and rewarding profession. 

It is also diversity that enriches our school environment on a day to day basis and makes our community the vibrant and welcoming place that it is. We see this in the range of cultures and backgrounds that our children come from and we see it in the way they merge to become one school community.

 

In assemblies in the past we have considered that the wonder of a rainbow is to be found in it's amazing spectrum of colours. One has to acknowledge that the impact of a rainbow in the sky, wouldn't be the same if it was just one colour!

 

During our remembeance week we held our traditional one minute silence in the school playground. As the bugle sounded to bring this to an end a rainbow broke out across the rooftops of the school. A celebration of diversity and the wonder of God's creation, which diversity is at the heart of. 

 

 

 

Nelson Mandela once spoke about the concept of a rainbow nation and the love that Paul talks about in Corinthians embraces this diversity at its core. There are no prerequisites for this love, no barriers, no conditions, no judgements, just love.

 

In the light of the events in Paris this week, it is clear that we need to see more of this love that embraces diversity and a diversity that embraces love. Something worth persevering for!

The significance of one single word!

In key stage one assembly today, we took the time to consider some of the key words in the 1 Corinthians passage.

The most obvious word is of course love and we reminded ourselves of what this might mean in practice, which led us to think about the significance of the word 'is'!

Paul paints a wonderful picture of love in 1 Corinthians that clearly points us in the right direction when trying to understand what love is. The significance of the word 'is' lies in the fact that it makes the connection between a vague concept of what love might be and what it looks like in practice.

We talked about the fact that love is not just a passive emotion, it is something that takes action and so the challenge at the end of the assembly was to reflect at the end of the day on how we had put the 'is' word into action. How had we demonstrated love to each other, not through emotion, but in practical action?

For love is kind, love is patient, love is shown in our every day interactions with other people. May the power of the word 'is' be seen in our everyday relationships and be evident in our life as a school.

Around our school today

 The school day started with our usual 'Wake and shake activity' a time to engage in movement to a number of different songs. Always a highlight of our Friday mornings and good to see the parents getting involved as well.

Our assemblies have continued to consider the theme of love, linking in with the gifts given by the three kings, celebrated as part of Epiphany, we have explored how giving is an act of love.

A few other snapshots from around the school today also remind us of God's love for us and the fact that at times it does take courage to put love into action.




As I made a visit to some of the classrooms one of the classes was considering what they thought love was.

Here are some of their thoughts:

Love is giving someone a big hug

Love is saying you are sorry

Love is caring for someone when they are sad

Love is making someone smile

Love is being there, even when it hurts

Love is giving wonderful things

Love is warm
Love is peace
Love is sharing God's love around

And all that is left behind is……

Today in assembly we considered how much we enjoy the  receiving and giving of presents. The excitement of holding them and trying to guess what is inside. The thrills and sometimes the disappointments; as well as the pleasure that can be gained from seeing the smile on someone else’s face, when they receive the gift we have so carefully thought about.

But we also reflected on the fact that sometimes we receive a present with great excitement and yet within a few days it is left at the bottom of a cupboard, a box or even under the bed. What was the centre of our attention, suddenly seems to be not as important anymore. 

The question we considered is ‘do we also do the same with Jesus?’. For weeks He becomes the centre of our attention, our preparations for the celebration of the big day. Then suddenly the decorations are packed away, the nativity scene carefully placed in its box and we move on to other things.

Our Nativity scene at school has been packed away as well, but the stable remains and at its centre the baby Jesus. A reminder that God’s gift to us is a gift for us to enjoy and respond to every day,  not just on the 25th December, once a year.

New year and a new term.

There have been some beautiful sunrises over the Christmas break, the mixture of the cold frosty atmosphere and the sun’s rays breaking through have been wonderful to see in the fields that surround our house and yet, although each morning announces the start of a new day there are something's which remain the same. 

At the start of our advent journey we considered the fact that Advent was not about new truths, but old truths that have never changed. The Christmas story really happened, there was a day, there was a birth, in a city, in a real place some two thousand years ago. As we leave Advent behind and look to the start of the new school term we will be reflecting on the fact that the truth of Christmas continues to have relevance and impact on our lives today.

God’s love shown at Christmas was a gift to us, a gift for everyone to receive. A question that is not new is how do we respond to this in our daily lives?

The most obvious link that comes to mind would be the way in which we relate to each other as a response to the love that God has shown us.

In our assembly hall we have placed on the front wall the words of 1 Corinthians 13, Paul’s description of what love is and what it is most certainly not. Having survived a Christmas feast of films over the past week, these verses certainly turn on its head the emotional, transient love that seems to be at the centre of Hollywood’s vision of love. Although I have to admit that the love shown so wonderfully in Shrek, goes some way to adjusting the balance!

How is love worked out in our every day lives, how do we demonstrate the call to love our neighbour as ourselves? None of these are new questions, but they remain crucial in the way we choose to respond to the truths of Christmas.

May the words of 1 Corinthians 13 be a guide to us as we enter 2015. As we explore it together, may we deepen our understanding of the love that has been at the centre of the season of Advent that we have just traveled through and how this love can manifest itself in our every day lives in our school , our church and in our local community.