Dear parents and friends, 

For the last newsletter of 2021, I wanted to share with you the same message I presented to students today at our end of year presentation. Please find it below…

Boxing Day always presents block buster movies. Marvel movies, Star Wars episodes are often released on Boxing Day because most people are on holidays and looking forward to being entertained and relaxing. Kids & adults alike will often look forward to seeing their favourite superhero in action or perhaps sporting heros who take the stage in the arena of cricket, netball, or soccer. Trailers and advertising get us pumped to watch and this year will probably be more eagerly anticipated than most as many movies have been withheld during COVID and we are certainly ready to relax after a challenging 2021. 

But the real superhero is actually celebrated the day before Boxing Day. He doesn’t wear a cape or have an exciting trailer. He doesn’t walk out on the SCG with a cricket bat but he is the reason why millions of people stop, come together and celebrate on December 25 each year. 

Sometimes it is hard to remember Jesus on Christmas Day because we focus on the exciting stuff like gift giving, feasting, partying and celebrating with family and friends. But Jesus is the true hero of Christmas and its worth spending time to reflect on that.

Jesus although the son of God, started life like each us. A vulnerable baby, reliant on the care of his parents. He learnt to read, Joseph taught him how to use tools. He enjoyed fishing and spending time with his friends. Jesus was a brilliant speaker, storyteller and teacher. He had powerful things to say. Some of them were quite controversial. He truly believed in equality, he spent time with the poor and marginalised and spoke authentically about the love of God. He was someone who was very clear about his values, what he stood for and lived by his own motto ‘Love your God with all your heart, with all your soul and all your mind and love your neighbour as yourself’. This was not easy. Demonstrating love to others got him in trouble 1 John 4:8 regularly. His divinity and genuine love for others allowed him to perform miracles. He healed people from sickness, allowing the blind the see, the crippled to walk, the mute to speak and even the dead to return to life.

Jesus became so popular that huge crowds followed him. Friends he inspired wrote letters to people they knew telling stories about what Jesus was doing and the principles he lived by. He changed the face of the world and is regarded as having the biggest impact from a single human in all of history. For generations, people have been inspired by his story and have been moved to follow him, to act like him and to serve others.

And so when you wake up on December 25, don’t forget what you are really celebrating. You and people all over the world, celebrate the life of a man who came to save us from our sins, someone who provided the ultimate example of holiness, someone who showed us God’s love and gave us a roadmap that shows us how to live our lives. A superhero in anyone’s language.

Thank you for your encouragement, support and trust throughout the year. I wish you and your family every blessing this Christmas, stay safe and Ilook forward to seeing you in the new year.

Mr Abernethy
College Prinicipal