Chaplain

Joy is the heartbeat of Christian living. I have been reflecting on the verse ‘The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy and peace.’ These three realities are the very ones that we long for as humans and yet they seem so elusive.

I attended the Senior Music Festival, where my heart was captured by the angelic overture sung by all the choirs and accompanied by the Advanced Strings. They declared ‘Glory to God in the highest’, the words of the angels used in announcing the birth of Jesus. In the bible the following words are ‘peace to the people on earth’. The coming of Jesus would bring real unshakeable peace to our hearts.

The deep and rich voice of Tobias Page singing Wayfaring Stranger resonated with the reality of life and its dark struggles. It proclaimed the joy of knowing that Christians are journeying to the real home of heaven. So the original singers suffering oppression and slavery looked to the peace and joy of a heavenly destination. This sustained them through the torments of their life.

The Intermediate Choir sang a beautiful piece, Neranie, composed by Amy Richardson at Yr 10 camp last year. She was reflecting on the bird calls and the traditional lifestyle of the aborigines in Neranie. This song captured lessons from the birds and connected to the sentiment of the Sermon on the Mount when Jesus talked about not worrying about today but knowing the love of the Father and the peace of trusting him. This song transported one to the Australian bush and the bird song reminding us of joy, love and contentment.

The Senior Music Festival was a delight of sound with the exuberance and talent of our student body. For me it also drew together thoughts on the essence of life. That despite our busy schedules and demanding commitments, the real essence of life is love, joy and peace. A relationship with Jesus results in his Spirit filling our hearts with his love, his joy and his peace so as we travel the journey of this life we can be at peace as we anticipate our real heavenly home.

Blessings

Ms Bronwyn Lihou
Senior Campus Chaplain
blihou@redlands.nsw.edu.au
9968 9830