Shine your light…During the recent summer holidays, I had the opportunity to hike with friends for six days. Getting up at 5.00am on the first day, we travelled from Hobart and caught the ferry at Lake St Clair. We spent the afternoon walking into what would be our base camp for the next few days and pitched our tents. We decided that we would walk the Acropolis later in the afternoon. This hike was a lot steeper than I had remembered and took quite a lot longer than I anticipated. The sun was setting as we started to walk back to base camp with our hungry stomachs, and it got dark very quickly as we trekked through the rainforest. We wandered off the main track at times as it was getting quite challenging to see and follow the trail, a reminder of the importance of bringing a head torch even for a quick walk. As we looked ahead, we saw a speckle of light in the distance and knew we were nearly at base camp. We walked toward the growing light, which helped us get back safely. As I reflected on this experience and reminded myself to double-check distances and prepare better next time I hike, I was reminded of the ‘Light’ in the Bible, which generally emphasises the removal of darkness in the unfolding of biblical history and theology. Jesus later declares that he is “the light of the world.” Jesus describes followers as salt of the earth and the light of the world. I want to take this opportunity to look at the metaphor that our Lord uses to describe the witness of the Christian as ‘light’. Don Carson, a well-known theologian, writes “Christians are the light of the world - a world that, by implication, is covered in thick darkness. When we turn on the tv or social media, we see the evil in the world. If we imagine a world without power (light), we’ll understand how darkness can be a terror and a symbol of all that is evil.” In Matthew 5:16, Jesus commands us to shine His light. “In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven”. What is this light by which Jesus’s disciples lighten a dark world? The ‘light’ is the good deeds performed by Jesus’s followers - performed so that at least some people recognise these followers of Jesus as sons of God and come to praise this Father whose sons they are. I would like to strongly highlight that works or deeds do not save us; instead, God, by His grace, invites us into a relationship with him through Jesus, which we don’t need to work for; we just need to say “yes”, and trust what Jesus has done for us on the cross. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:4-10
Our theme for the year is based on Matthew 5:14a and16: “You are the light of the world… In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” This verse will form our school direction and identity. Yes, as a school, we want to be known to excel in academics, sport, or the arts, but most importantly, we want to shine for Jesus. Our hope and prayer is that the entire Northern community ‘shines’ for Christ in everything we do! Each day let’s trust what Jesus has done for us, praying that God will use us to shine His light and glorify God by what others see in us at Northern Christian School. Bethany Armstrong - Principal
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