Devotion - A wake-up Prayer

‘But the tax collector stood at a distance and would not even raise his face to heaven, but beat on his breast and said, “God, have pity on me, a sinner!” I tell you,’ said Jesus, ‘the tax collector, and not the Pharisee, was in the right with God when he went home. For all who make themselves great will be humbled, and all who humble themselves will be made great.’

Luke 18: 13 - 14

To us who are often sure of our own goodness and quite able to despise everyone else for being weak, shameful and full of sin, Jesus gives a wake-up call. Indeed, he gives us a prayer which is more than a prayer. It is a constant confession of who we are and who we need to be: people of goodness and grace.

The prayer has been made famous by centuries of use. It is called, ‘The Jesus Prayer’. The humble in heart pray. ‘Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a poor sinner’. The prayer is prayed over and over in time with the beat of the heart, and it serves as a constant confession of our sin and a reminder that every heartbeat is dependent on the mercy and grace of Jesus Christ, Lord of the living and the dead.

Pray the prayer today. It is in this confession and this reminder that Jesus raises us up to be co-rulers with him for all eternity.

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a poor sinner.

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a poor sinner.

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a poor sinner.

by Adrian Kitson, in ‘Renewed Hope for each Day’ (LCA, Openbook, 2000)

Prayer Points

We pray that God has mercy on us poor sinners

We pray that the students and families can enjoy a restful long weekend and the staff have a fruitful Professional Development Day on Monday

We give thanks for the staff and the many different gifts they use to bless our community

We pray for the Tu, Vanuk and Vi families

Micah Award

To Rachel for displaying courage in the face of adversity

Courage

I recently watched the movie ‘The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind’. For those who are not familiar with the movie, it is the story of a young boy growing up in drought stricken Malawi, whose farming family is in danger of losing everything. Persistent drought, political corruption, robbers and violent riots are all barriers that stand in the way of the family staying alive. William, the main character, has a dream of saving his village from the drought by building a windmill that will provide a constant supply of life giving water. However, he faces great adversity in making his dream come true; his challenges include being refused schooling, a lack of resources, a father who sees his dream as silly and villagers abandoning the village at an alarming rate.

‘Courage is the strength of heart that enables people to stand up for their convictions to do the right thing, even when it is hard or fearful. It involves being firm of spirit despite the ups and downs of life and it means ‘having a go’ even when success is uncertain.’

William displayed incredible courage in order to fulfil his dream. He was fearless in his perseverance to build the windmill. Nothing stood in the way of his conviction to save his village from total destruction.

If only we, as Christians, displayed the same courage as William did in the face of adversity! If only we could remain steadfast in our faith at all times, yet we fail so often. The good news is that we do not face our adversaries alone. Christian courage is recognising and accepting the strength that we receive through the Holy Spirit. We have the strength of heart and firmness of spirit to stand up for what is right and ‘have a go’ despite difficulties, uncertainty and setbacks.

For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love, and self-discipline. (2 Timothy 1:7)

Prep/ Year 1

In the Prep/1 classroom, we are learning about how to write a list for different purposes and how we can use lists in our everyday lives.

You can help by creating a list with your child to help remember and check things.

Year 1/ 2

In the Year 1/2 classroom, Year 1 students are creating Acrostic and Year 2, Cinquain poems. They are using the app ‘Book Creator’ to present their work. Ask your child to explain these poems to you and do one together.

Year 3/4

In the Year 3/4 classroom, we have been transforming a verse from ‘Edward the Emu’. We have moved around some of the phrases and clauses to create a different verse. Come and have a look at the work displayed on the windows of our classroom.

Year 5/6

In the Year 5/6 classroom, we are learning about probability. We have been using fractions, percentages and chance language to describe the likelihood of certain events. You can help by allowing us to describe different events’ probability at home.