OUR BIGGER STORY

The year is quickly coming to an end and I’m sure as you’ve prepared for Valedictory services, final Assemblies, and Christmas you’ve had a chance to reflect a little on the year that has been. The curve balls that have come our way, the things that actually are within the realm of normal for a Chaplain to be working through (but that’s not to say it was difficult), the sadness, the blessings, the surprises, the incidental but meaningful conversations, the opportunity to share Jesus without school communities, the list is endless. Whether this year has been one of the harder ones or it has been on the slightly dare I say quieter ones, this year I am grateful that we are part of a bigger story, and what a privilege it is to be able to share it with young people and world experiencing more and more chaos.

I was lucky enough to be able to make it to a workshop earlier this term, where the facilitator was talking about bridging the gap between cultures, and as I was there listening I heard them explain quite succinctly my role, our roles as Chaplains. Perhaps it’s just me showing my age but more and more words that my students use pop into conversations and I honestly have no idea what they mean. They’ll say something in class and everyone will agree or laugh and I’m just at a loss. Now this can be easily explained by the age gap and the different social media platforms I and they use. It is definitely a challenge at times, but I don’t think it is a bad thing, it is definitely nothing new, and nothing to be surprised by. As Christians 1 Peter reminds us that we are always going to be different, we are exiles in a foreign land, but to make sure that we’re different for the right reasons.

Many things were helpful about this workshop and thinking about Chaplaincy but the one thing that has continued to stick with me as this year comes to an end, is the bigger story that we are a part of, and we know how the story ends. Our bigger story is that God’s knows and understands the chaos of our world, Jesus entered into it experienced it, and conquered sin and death. Our God is the true Alpha and Omega, in the end he will be victorious so there is nothing to fear. I love the little glimpses we see of God at work in people’s lives, I had a student come up to me a couple of weeks ago and tell me that we need to keep praying for peace! In the uncertainty we know there is certain hope and we get to remind our communities of the bigger story that has a wonderful ending, the news that they are longing to hear, that the Saviour has come and will come again making all things new.