Religious Education
The College theme this year is Wonder: celebrating all that is good with joy and gratitude. The word, wonder, can mean many things to different people. One definition describes it as, “a feeling of amazement and admiration, caused by something beautiful, remarkable, or unfamiliar”, or perhaps this second definition speaks to you, “the desire to know something; to feel curious”.
For me a sense of wonder is something that stops me in my tracks, something that makes me pause and take a breath, something that sparks my curiosity and lights a fire within my heart or mind. When I find myself immersed in wonder, I discover a sense of joy that springs simultaneously from both the simplicity and complexities of life.
John Piper defines joy as “a good feeling in the soul, produced by the Holy Spirit, as He causes us to see the beauty of Christ in the word and in the world.”
We can have true joy regardless of external circumstances, because joy comes not from the world around us, but from God as we look to Him through Jesus.
The Bible tells us that joy is something that God’s people can deliberately cultivate. We grow and cultivate joy in three ways:
- Firstly, we remember God’s great blessings to us in the past. We remember the redemption that we have through Jesus. We remember the great ways in which God has blessed us (Psalm 137:6).
- Secondly, we give thanks for those same blessings. As remembrance leads to thanksgiving, God’s peace guards our hearts (Philippians 4:6-8).
- Thirdly, we hope for the future. We remind ourselves of, and trust in, God’s promises that no matter what our circumstances are now, our future will be indescribably glorious (1 Peter 1:3-9).
A joyful community is a thriving community. In all classes, teachers aspire to instil a sense of wonder in students. To cultivate an environment where students feel safe to ask questions, to seek knowledge and to think purposefully about the deep questions of life. Our Religious Education curriculum is designed to provide students with the opportunity to see God at work. To explore how God transforms hearts and minds, and how we can play a part in being the hands and feet of Jesus in our communities.
The Living Justice, Living Peace Charter encourages us to ‘Learn with Wonder’. To do so “reminds us of the beauty, complexity and fragility of creation. It challenges us to search for meaning, truth and peace.” As we encounter opportunities to develop our faith and strengthen our relationship with God, may we take the time to see God’s world through new eyes, hear His word with new ears and respond with new hearts.
Let us pray that even though our current circumstances are challenging, we will experience the joy that only comes from seeing the beauty of Christ and look to Him for our strength. As we go about the upcoming weeks, and experience further lockdowns and restrictions, let us “take time to wonder. Because without wonder, life is merely existence.”
Religious Education Team