Did you know, at the time of publishing this article, we have 20 school days until the Easter break? That’s less than five weeks, only three Mondays and around 130 hours of school until we get to Easter and the holidays! …but who’s counting?
There’s lots happening at school over the next 20 days and sometimes it can feel like a huge rush to the end of term. Often at the end of term I have a mental picture in my head of a baseball game. The start of the term I’m ready with my bat and ball at the home plate. The term begins, I hit the ball and I scurry my way to first plate, generally feeling good about what’s happening. We are all feeling fresh and excited, so I make a dash to the second plate. There I take a little moment to breathe, and remember we need to be mindful, before I’m off to the third plate, and from there I can see the home plate! I gather all of what’s left of my energy and run and take a sliding dive into the end of term! Does that sound familiar?
As Chaplains, we have been planning our Easter Assemblies for some time (in truth it pops into my mind almost immediately after the Christmas assemblies!). In CARE classes we are talking about what Easter might mean and look like for each of us. I want to prepare us for Easter, so that it doesn’t sneak up on us as we slide into holiday mode at the end of term. Christmas is big, but Easter is the most important event on the Christian calendar.
For Baptists and Christians around the world, God’s love is the centre of what Easter is all about. While on Earth, Jesus constantly talked about how we should love people. We all know it is easy to love people who are nice to us. But Jesus wants us to love even the prickly, mean, rude people in our lives. It is harder to love those types of people.
In his teaching, Jesus always spoke authentically, and he would not only tell people how to love others, but he would demonstrate it himself. Jesus was well known, he had lots of good friends, but he also loved those you wouldn’t expect to like, let alone love. He loved people who didn’t fit in, the ones a lot of people ignored. He demonstrated love wherever he went and then he said we should do the same.
Jesus told us that we should love our enemies without expecting to get anything back. At Easter, he demonstrated this principal in the most sacrificial way. Jesus knew that not everyone would notice his act of love, but he did it anyway.
People think about Easter in all sorts of ways. Some people just focus on the chocolate, some people go to church, some people are excited about the holidays. But, at its core, Easter is all about just how much Jesus loves us and how much hope he has for us.
With our 20 school days until Easter, I’m looking to be more grateful for the love Jesus shows and teaches us. I want to be mindful of this special occasion. No matter who you think Jesus is or was, let’s all be examples of what it means to love others, even the prickly ones and the ones who will never even notice.
Rebecca Gaskell
Junior School Chaplain
