Whole School Easter Service

By Juliette Krens

For Christians, Easter is a time of reflection.  A time during which we consider the magnitude of what it is Christ did for us. A time to consider the sacrifice that was made, so that not only could we have a relationship with God the Father, but we could also have the hope of eternal life. It is equally a time 

of celebration, as we take time to celebrate this hope given to us through Christ’s resurrection and the resulting unhindered relationship with a living and loving God. 

Our Easter service this year encapsulated this reflection in a variety of creative ways. Nick Crawley, our Chaplain, opened in prayer and our student worship team did a great job leading us with songs of praise. Our Year 1/2 classes performed ‘Amazing Grace’ with the incredible sound of small bells. 

We were pleased to hear Warwick Davidson, the Chairman of the Board announce the School Council's reappointment of Andy Callow as Principal for another three years.

Fiona Valentine, our Artist-in-Residence spoke emotionally about the joy it has given her to work with our students on the mural and the impact this has had on her life. Fiona reminded us that we are all created with a spirit of creativity and that we don’t need to accept that we’re not good 

enough, but that we only need to give things a try. Fiona also thanked Judy Woods and Ann Ridder for their efforts. The mural was officially unveiled and the beauty of our bushland was brought to life on canvas as a work of art that can be admired for years to come.

We were delighted by the video of our Kinder cohort as their own little spirits of creativity were brought to life through their song and works of art.

Joy McGrath together with staff and students then led us in a multi-lingual blend of John 3:16, the very essence of Christ’s sacrifice for us. A creative flow of languages in French, German, Italian, Dutch, Afrikaans, Fillipino and Russian reminded us “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” The Prep/1 students did a great job following this by singing John 3:16 complete with actions.

Nick Crawley once again used his incredible ability to intersperse humour with creative flair while acting out “It is finished!” by swimming 10kms one moment and eating a giant pizza the next.

We watched a poignant video called “What if the Easter story was today?” made by Allen Dickson. A take on the modern day story of Christ’s crucifixion, another element to leave the watcher to reflect once more.

Poetry flowed as Cameron Semmens, our Poet-in-Residence, recited  the beautiful ode ‘The Water’s Alive’, a poem depicting how the gospel might play out if Jesus was 100% water . Definitely more words to leave the listener thinking. Our Vetamorphus students followed this with poetry on “The Life and Death and Life of Jesus Christ”.

Andy Callow then got up and spoke passionately about his love for the School. Andy shared on the many ‘famous last words’ spoken by people. Sometimes words of regret and at other times words of finality. Last, but not least Andy spoke on what for Christians are the most important words “It is 

finished!”, Christ’s words during his crucifixion. “It is finished!” Christ’s words that cancel out our debt while giving us free and unhindered access to God. Words that mean we do not have to strive to attain to a relationship with God.

We listened to a song to once more to reinforce what the words “It is finished!” means and Andy encouraged those who had faith and who actively believed to stand if they were willing. As students stood to sing together, it was clear that the Christian heart of our School is alive and well.

We finished off with “Go Quickly”, a song written by Gerry Holmes, performed by a team from Middle School while accompanied by Gerry. A reminder of the excitement of Christ’s resurrection and all that this means for us. Once the service had concluded, we joined together in the Restaurant for Hot Cross Buns, hot drinks, and fellowship with one another.

Each and every part of the service was a reminder and a reflection of God’s ultimate sacrifice for us, but not just us, Christ’s sacrifice for all mankind. ‘For whoever believes in Him’  has hope, ‘whoever believes in Him’ is not destined to perish, ‘whoever believes in Him’ has eternal life.  We serve a God of boundless love, endless compassion and glorious grace. 

May this coming Easter period provide each of us with a moment to reflect and celebrate the opportunity of hope that’s been given to us through a relationship with a living and loving God. 

What an amazing God we serve!