Devotion: Giving up our lives for Jesus

Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus … (Philemon 1a).

It would be hard to overstate the impact that Paul had in the shaping of the church to reflect the bigger plan of God – the mystery of God’s intention to win every tribe and tongue by sending his Son.

How did this man, so steeped in Judaism and zealous for Israel, shift so dramatically and serve this greater purpose?

I believe the key is in this verse. Paul became a ‘prisoner of Christ Jesus’ – a true ‘bond slave’ (to use the Old Testament image).

To become a prisoner of Christ, Paul gave up all his claims to self-righteousness. He considered his deeds and accomplishments as rubbish – compared with knowing Jesus.

A prisoner of Christ approaches their decision-making in a different way. They put aside their personal feelings to ask, ‘What do you want, Lord?’

Paul is a wonderful example to us when we face various challenges.

Some might conclude that Paul was a man with a strong ‘will’ to obey – I believe his secret probably lay much deeper than that. In 2 Corinthians 12:7, Paul states, ‘In my weakness – your strength is revealed’.

Paul learned how to ‘drink in the Holy Spirit’ when faced with difficulty, and this can be our secret as well.

Lord, I thank you for the heroes of the faith who have gone before us and are now among the ‘great cloud of witnesses’ who barrack us on as we run our race. Help us, Lord, to know you are with us always, and help us run well the race set before us.

Prayer Points

We give thanks for the love and service of the mothers in our community and for those who play an important mother-like role in supporting and caring for our students

We pray for God’s love and comfort to be with those who are struggling at this time or have been affected by recent events

We pray for the Pham, Iang and Kawngno families.

Micah Award

Joshua for showing appreciation.

Juan Pablo for showing Courage

From the Principal

Two significant events are being celebrated soon. We can take valuable lessons from both as they remind us to live out our school values of compassion, service, courage and forgiveness.

PENTECOST

Pentecost Sunday is on 28 May and holds great significance for us today. It reminds us of the powerful presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Just as the disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit, we too experience His guidance and strength. Pentecost encourages us to be open to God's Spirit, who helps us make good choices, brings us comfort in difficult times, and empowers us to show compassion and serve others.

Pentecost teaches us about unity and diversity. The miracle of speaking in different languages reminds us that God's love is for everyone, regardless of their background or culture. It calls us to embrace diversity and build bridges of understanding and friendship with people from all walks of life.

Pentecost encourages us to be bold in sharing our faith and spreading kindness and compassion. It reminds us that we have a purpose to bring light and love to others. May we seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit and let Pentecost inspire us to make a positive difference in the world around us.

NATIONAL SORRY DAY

National Sorry Day is an important event in Australia that reminds us of the significance of reconciliation and acknowledging the past. It is observed on the 26th of May each year. On this day, we reflect on the mistreatment and injustices faced by the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, particularly the forced removal of children from their families, known as the Stolen Generations. National Sorry Day encourages us to show empathy, understanding, and respect towards Indigenous Australians. It is an opportunity for us to learn about their rich cultures and histories, and to work towards a more inclusive and united future.

Prep/ 1

In the Prep/1 classroom we read a story titled ‘What Do You Do With An Idea?’

We became really inspired! Ask us about our favourite page in the story!

Year 1/ 2

In the Year 1/2 classroom we are learning about telling the time on analogue and digital clocks.

You can help us by talking about half past and quarter past time.

Year 3/ 4

In the Year 3/4 classroom we used number lines to explore rounding a number to 10, 100 and 1000.

Please ask your child about this activity.

Year 5/ 6

In the Year 5/6 classroom we have been learning about equivalent fractions.

This week we have been playing a game with cards called Closest to 1.

Ask us about how to play and what strategies we used to check our results.