Come before Him with Thanksgiving
| Dear Parents, One of the things that I love about Thanksgiving is the opportunity to pause after our first sprint of the year through the month of September. It’s an opportunity to catch our breath and also stop to see the beauty of the world around us, as we marvel at God’s creation and His artistic flair seen in the fall colours. It’s also a moment to reflect on God’s goodness to us and set our hearts in a posture of gratitude for His faithfulness to us. Did you know that the origins of Thanksgiving started in Canada (not the United States) are rooted in that very thing? According to historians, the first Canadian Thanksgiving took place in 1578. Explorer Martin Frobisher and his team from England had been on a journey for months, as they looked for a northern passage to the Pacific Ocean. Instead of finding it, they landed on Baffin Island in an area called Frobisher Bay, which is part of Nunavut today. The men were so thankful to have found land and kept safe on their journey through storms and icebergs that they held a formal ceremony to give thanks to God and share in Communion. As a school, we collectively took time to time to do something similar as a community. Whether it was the verses read, the prayers were prayed, or the songs we sang together, they all pointed to the greatness of our God and our Saviour Jesus, who rescued us from sin and protected us through our journeys thus far. In Psalm 95:2, it says, “Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!” Our students provided us with a powerful example of what it means to make a joyful noise to God and present our hearts as an offering of gratitude to the Lord for all He has done. As we celebrate with our families and friends this weekend, may our focus be on gratitude for all of the ways God has blessed us and thank Him for his faithfulness. May this not only be something we do at Thanksgiving, but part of our daily response to our incredible God. Blessings, J-D Lussier, Principal |