One of the greatest joys of my life is working with our students as they joyfully use their gifts to bless our community and reflect our culture of Christian service. No matter what we ask, our students enthusiastically volunteer to participate in the life of our College. It doesn’t matter if the service is seen or not, nor does it matter if it is big or small, our wonderful young people happily jump in. From serving breakfast at Friday Breakfast Club to leading special events like Remembrance Day, our students are an inspiration in their willingness to work together for the good of our community. We have much for which we can praise God.

Last week our youngest students served our Beveridge Road campus by leading chapel. I cannot adequately express the pure joy that overtook us all in that short time of worship. Our Prep and Year 1 students taught the oldest students songs and actions with an earnest, worshipful heart. Our youngest students created an atmosphere of joy and tenderness that significantly affected the whole gathering. Some of our senior students said that they had experienced something in that chapel that was fresh and new. Wow.

In that moment, our oldest students weren’t being asked to serve the little ones by helping them or being a good audience. Instead, they were being served a powerful gift. They were served joy in its most contagious form. They were served an example of courage, as these tiny students stood before a much larger crowd and shared their hearts. This is the upside-down kingdom of God that Jesus so often talked about. He said, “Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all” (Mark 10:43-44). Our youngest students, without even realizing it, became the greatest in that chapel service because they were servants to us all. They served us a fresh perspective. They served us a dose of pure joy. They served us a powerful lesson in how God doesn’t look at the size of the servant, but the size of the heart within the servant. They also taught us that service is not about our capacity, but our availability. It’s not about having all the answers but having a willing heart.

Our God is good and he is at work in our College. May we continue to learn from each other the heart of Christian service. The Lord tells us that everyone has something to give, no matter their age, grade, or ability. We witness joy and grace as we share with each other what God has given to us.

Blessings,

Pastor Greg