Christmas is a significant time of year for us all in different ways.  For Christians we take time to remember and give thanks for God’s gift of his own Son to come to earth in humble circumstances, to live a life as an example of how God intended us all to live and then died a death deserving of the worst of sinners and in doing so took our place.

This is very different to how many people think of Christmas and celebrate it. It is a great start to the summer holidays; it is about gift giving and receiving, and family get-togethers and so on. These things are not incompatible of course but without the Christian explanation of why we have this holiday and this season, it does not really make much sense. We give and receive gifts because of God’s gift of His son. We pause from our work because Christians take time to gather together to celebrate God’s gift. Many of the traditions and practices of our western culture, stem from our connection to the Christian faith and its influence on the shaping of our culture.

However your family celebrate Christmas, I encourage you to take time to think about the reason for this season. Perhaps you will choose to attend a church service to understand more of why the coming of Christ is important to Christians. Traditionally, many Australians attended church at Christmas and Easter, even if they were not regular throughout the rest of the year because they recognised the connection of Christianity to these seasons. You would certainly be most welcome at all the churches on the Coast should you choose to do so.

On a different note, I had the privilege of travelling to Government House this week with Mr W, one of our Secondary teachers, a Year Advisor and the supervisor of our Duke of Edinburgh’s Awards program. Dan received a 10 Year Service Medal, along with a number of other people who have been working in the Duke of Edinburgh scheme for over 30 years. If you are unfamiliar with the Duke of Edinburgh scheme I encourage you to follow this link to find out more and to contact Dan at school. 

The Duke himself was present at the awards and we are delighted that Dan has been acknowledged for the years he has spent helping students achieve Bronze, Silver and Gold awards, organising hiking events and doing endless amounts of paperwork. Well done Dan, a fine example of someone who serves others selflessly and diligently.

 Phillip Nash