Advent – Season of Hope and Expectation
| Dear Parents, While it may be hard to believe, December is already here. At our house, this means a few birthday celebrations, but beyond that, it also marks the beginning of Advent as we count down the days to Christmas. While this certainly brings anticipation for presents and family fun, we want to make sure that this doesn’t become a distraction or the primary focus. As we combat the pull of consumerism and secular traditions, it requires intentionality to focus our hearts on the reason we celebrate: Jesus. |
| As part of our chapel time this morning, our grade 5 students took the time to remind us of the history of Advent and the importance of pausing and reflecting during this season. As we began to think about the theme of Hope, I was reminded of the hope that some of our students brought to our Tansley neighbours recently. One particular neighbour shared how she lost her husband 13 years ago and how she often feels lonely. She wrote to us that receiving our cards from our students and reading the messages on the sidewalk gave her a sense of hope. She felt loved in the process and was so thankful for the encouragement and verses that she received. Throughout the Old Testament, God created a sense of hope for His people particularly in difficult times. One example of this is in Micah 5:12 where he prophesied, “But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.” His people had renewed hope as a result of the messages that the prophets brought to the people.While this is just one example, it highlights the fact that our small, intentional acts of kindness, when multiplied, can have a large impact that we often don’t realize. What a lesson for our students to understand at a young age, seeing how God can use the seeds that we sow to produce much fruit and a harvest for His glory. It is also a good challenge for us to be thinking about the hope that we have in Jesus and how we can purposefully share that hope with others leading up to and throughout the Christmas season. May we spread a message of hope to our communities over these coming weeks. Blessings, J-D Lussier, Principal |