The people walking in darkness have seen a great light (Isaiah 9:2a).
When we were in Papua New Guinea, we often experienced the phenomenon of flying ants swarming to the night light, especially if there was rain around. It would get so bad that we had no option but to switch the lights off and go to bed. In the morning, there would be a big pile of ants on the floor. Having no light to attract them, the ants couldn’t survive.
I’m sure you know what it’s like to be in darkness. You know what it is to be in despair, to be confused, to be wracked with guilt or just feeling broken. We all do. If we look inwards, often, what we see is pretty dark. We don’t like being in a dark place. Without light, we just stumble around. We may as well be blind. It’s as though there is no hope.
The passage from Isaiah promises us light because it points to Jesus, the Messiah (read verses 6 and 7). The blind man in yesterday’s reading called Jesus the ‘son of David’, a messianic title. Jesus rescues the man from his darkness by giving him light. That’s what Jesus does. He opens eyes. He makes new. He brings change. He dispels the darkness and brings things into the light. He is ‘the light of the world’ (John 8:12).
Jesus calls us to look out, look up and see his light, bathe in his light and then be light to those around us.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a pastor who was imprisoned by the Nazis, knew darkness. But in that place, he kept being drawn to the light. He said it like this: ‘In me there is darkness, but with you there is light. I am lonely, but you do not leave me. I am feeble in heart, but with you there is help. I am restless, but with you there is peace.’
Lord Jesus, dispel the darkness and shine your light into my life. Amen.
Prayer Points
We give thanks that all our students can return to school next week
We pray for all who are sick and suffering at this time
We pray for Christians around the world who are experiencing hardship because of their faith
We pray for the Tlumang, Topae and Tran families
Micah Award
To Fiona for striving for quality in her work and courage to complete her work.
To Amalie for showing love and compassion to other students and the courage to face challenges
The Victorian community received very welcome news over the weekend that the state would receive further relaxing of restrictions when the state reaches 80% vaccination. At SCS this means that all students in Prep – Year 6 will be able to return to onsite learning on Wednesday 3 November. This is very exciting news as all students and staff are able to be at school together for the first time in 3 months!
The return to school has come about because Victorians have embraced the call to be vaccinated in order to keep everybody safe. This is a service and sacrifice that many have made, not just for the health of themselves, but for their families and the wider community. As a Christian community we are well aware of the ultimate sacrifice that Jesus made on the cross for us and the many instances in the bible where he was a servant to others. Philippians 2 verse 4 and 5 remind us: "Instead of each person watching out for their own good, watch out for what is better for others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus". The school thanks all staff, parents and members of our community who have contributed to allowing the school to reopen to our students. We are really looking forward to reconnecting with our students and serving them for the remainder of the year.
In the Prep/1 classroom we have been talking about ‘groups of’ things.
We have been finding it hard to follow the instructions carefully. You can give us step by step instructions to draw a certain number of groups, then tell us how many things to draw in each group. Ask us how many things altogether!
Year 2/ 3
In the Year 2/3 classroom we are learning about division or sharing in Maths. Students divide a collection of objects into equal groups. Then they write a number sentence. You can help your child by dividing a collection into equal sets. Sometimes there is a remainder!
Year 3/ 4
In the Year 3/4 classroom we have started learning about Data. We know how to collect data by using observations or asking questions.
You can ask us how to collect data and get us to collect data at home!
Year 5/ 6
In the Year 5/6 classroom we have created our own growing patterns and used function tables and rules to predict things about future numbers in the pattern. Ask us how we come up with the rules.
