Ministry

It is so good to be at the end of another fantastic year. 

So many wonderful things have happened – including and especially from a ministry perspective in our school.

But today I want to share with you one of my favourite things. 

It takes place directly after Christmas Day.

It is The Boxing Day Test Match/sales/family gatherings.

I do like those things (well, maybe not the sales).

But what I like most about that time is that I often get a day, or so, to reflect on my year. 

To learn. 

To grow. 

To think into the next year.

It is the time when everything I’ve learnt through experience gets consolidated.

It comes out of something I heard many years ago: 

“reflection turns experience into insight.”

When I spend my time reflecting on my year, I explore what worked and didn’t work in my day-to-day life.

I ask questions like:

· What did I get better at?

· What do I need to improve?

· Who did I spend my time with?

· Was that time a blessing to them and to me?

· What projects succeeded? Could they get better?

· What projects struggled? Should I do them again?

· What did I find hard this year?

· Did I use my talents and abilities well? Where can I use them more?

· Who did I love well? Who do I need to love better?

Now, for some people, this kind of activity would be incredibly painful and discouraging, because we aren’t all wired for introspection and reflection, and that is ok. 

For me, it does a lot of good, because it helps to remind me of who I am, and who I’m meant to be. It keeps me on the path of what God would have me do in the world. And it helps me live out a phrase I shared with the students over the past week or so: 

“If you want to change the world, start with yourself.”

It is interesting that God wanted to change the world. He wanted it to be a place of love, of joy, of service, of peace, of hope. In God’s effort to change the world, God took on flesh and became one of us. Rather than require everyone to become like God, God chose to become like us in Jesus.

We are all called to do good in our little corner of the world – to change it, to make it better. 

But the first part in this is to be changed ourselves. As Christians, we believe that God became one of us, and that God then changes us when we receive his love and grace in our lives.

May you, this Christmas and New Year – (that time when we all seek change) – be changed first of all by the love of Jesus. 

May you then bring that life-changing love to all those you meet. And may you also reflect on what it takes to be a positive difference in our world, just as all our students and staff make a positive difference in our community.

Chris Mann

College Pastor