Our Year 7 students recently had their camp at Cascade Environmental Centre near Dorrigo. They had a great time exploring the rainforest with their peers and also, had a few leaches join them! The staff were encouraged as they witnessed some students push through physical and mental barries to complete a blindfolded chanllenge of being led through the rainforest by a peer providing only verbal instructions. The students survived, actually 'thrived', without technology. God's miraculous 'outdoor wonders' entertained the students for the entire camp.
This term, the value we are focusing on at school is Live with Integrity. As I consider this value alongside our three other values: Honour God, Learn with Courage, and Serve in Community I find that they are each inter-related and held together with integrity.
We are glad to be partnering with you, our families, as we teach our young people to stand firm and act in accordance with their convictions, and to have the strength and fortitude to choose to do the right thing even when no-one is looking: living with integrity.
Jesus, through both his life and his words, asks us to consider what it is to live with integrity. I’d like us to consider the story of the woman caught in adultery (found in John 8). The Pharisees had brought her to Jesus hoping to use the law of Moses to trap him, and thereby accuse him. These men had a bloodlust built out of self-righteous indignation. They wanted to stone the woman as punishment, and to utilise that very moment to also find flaw with Jesus. It doesn’t take much to see the terrible irony: that their desire to be seen as righteous made them act in a way that wasn’t. They were living without integrity.
In contrast Jesus acts entirely with integrity. It wouldn’t be wrong of us to make much of the actions of Jesus who cleverly demands that the men review their own lives before casting the first stone. Neither would it be a terrible thing to consider how Jesus treats the woman - with care and dignity. The power of Jesus is demonstrated in his calm approach to the situation and his knowledge of the hearts of mankind. His power is further demonstrated by the wisdom he displayed in demanding that the Pharisees review their own lives before casting the first stone, and through the care and dignity with which he treated the woman. Jesus is the only person who has lived a sinless and holy life. He is the only person with the power to judge, he is the only one with the power to offer forgiveness. His integrity is found in his offer of grace and mercy.
I am struck by the gentleness with which he treated the woman: “neither do I condemn you, go and leave your life of sin.” As for the Pharisees, who were out to do evil, Jesus encouraged them to search their own hearts. For both parties (and even for us today as the readers of God’s word), this moment with Jesus demanded a personal review of hearts and actions resulting, hopefully, in a recognition of sin and Jesus’ call for repentance.
What does need to be focused on in this story, is that there is still a cost to be paid; for Jesus to live with integrity and to offer grace and mercy, he had to die. Thankfully three days later he defeated death and in doing so fulfilled the promises of God.
As a Christian school we are convinced of the inherent dignity of every child because they are created by God. As teachers our task is to help form them into people who also see the value of all human beings. We are forming them to live with integrity. I am thankful for the opportunity to partner with our families as we educate our students and encourage us to embrace this value in all that we do.
Praying for a rich week of learning
Yours sincerely
Matt Cohen
Principal
