God is your rescuer

Spiritual Emphasis Week 2021 focused on the Smithville Christian High School’s spiritual life theme for the year: How Great is Our God.

In the fifth and final chapel of the week, spiritual life director Gord Park recapped the ideas shared so far:

• The greatness of God is seen in the grandeur and complexity of creation.
• God loves you with a wild, lavish, and excessive love.
• God gives you the gifts of community and deep friendship.
• God is always with you.

Finally, said Mr. Park, God is your rescuer – helping you whether you recognize it at the time or not.

Mr. Park shared a story about a teenage summer job he had once in a remote community in the BC interior. One day, during some time off, he and some friends were hanging out by a river, when Park decided to climb a nearby cliff. He made it to within a few feet of the summit when he ran out of handholds to go up and he couldn’t retrace his route back down.

As he clung to the cliff and wondered what to do, his arms and legs began to shake with fatigue. Below him was a rocky riverbed and certain death. Above him, he spied a root, just out of reach. Just as he was contemplating lunging towards the root, a friend’s face appeared over the edge of the cliff above him. Reaching out a hand, the friend pulled him to safety, and to the realization that the “root” was a loose branch that would have plunged him to the rocks below.

Park shared other anecdotes about times when he was led to step out and be a leader in situations where he least expected it, but looking back, he now sees that God’s hand was at work.

Students may not be willing or able to see it now, but God is working in your life, and wants you to put your trust in him, Park said.

In so many cases, random happenings or chance encounters mean “more than you know in the moment,” while you may also inadvertently reach out to grasp a root or some other thing that doesn’t help, or worse, actually puts you in danger.

“We each have to decide, where am I going to put my trust? In my grades? In my friends? In a girlfriend or boyfriend? In my talents or skills?” Park said. “Can I put my trust in my own strength?”

God wants to show you what he has created you to be. “Look for those moments,” Park said.

Members of student praise team Ablaze led in worship with “This is Amazing Grace,” “Our God,” and “Just Be Held.”

Today’s small group discussion questions were prepared by students in Grade 12.

1. Do you pour milk in before your cereal, or cereal before milk?
2. Where have you felt God reaching down towards you?
3. What do you put your trust in?
4. What do you want to put your trust in?
5. What is one step you can make to further your commitment with God?

God is always with you

At this time of year, many of us are thinking about presents, said spiritual life director Gord Park at the fourth chapel of Spiritual Emphasis Week. But even more important than any gift we might receive – from God or anyone else – is the presence of God in our lives.

In Psalm 139: 2-12, the psalmist writes about God’s intimate knowledge of us, and in Isaiah 41:13, God promises to be with us and help us:

“For I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear, I will help you.”

God’s presence helps us go against the flow of the harmful voices that might encourage things like gossiping, cheating, lying, mistrusting others, being untrustworthy, or being lazy in our spiritual walk, Park said. But nevertheless, “we are going to get stuck” in difficult situations “more than once.” Then we can count on the fact that Jesus, who has overcome the world, has made us overcomers too.

It’s good for use to practice the presence of God in our lives, Park said, through worship, through studying the word of God, through recognizing God at work, and by thanking God. When we intentionally spend time in God’s presence, we are more able to live our day-to-day lives being aware of God’s presence, and seeing people with the eyes of Christ’s love for them.

Members of student praise team Breakthrough led in worship with “Who You Say I Am,” “Only King Forever,” and “Glorious Day.”

Today’s small group discussion questions were prepared by students in Grade 11.

1. What is your favourite Christmas movie?
2. If you had to pick one thing to eat for the rest of your life, what would it be?
3. Do you find yourself most often trying to receive God’s presents or his presence?
4. What’s your immediate reaction to a troubling or difficult situation?
5. How does it feel to know that we have a God who assures us that we have nothing to fear?

(Keep scrolling for more praise team photos.)

God loves good friends

God is a relational God, and his love for you changes the way you love your friends, said spiritual life director Gord Park. In the third chapel of Spiritual Emphasis Week at Smithville Christian High School, Park said our relationship with God improves the quality of our friendships.

“How great is our God? He is so great he hard-wired us for great friendships,” Park said.

Jesus called us his friends, and God created us to love friendship, Park said. “We have been given the incredible gift to love and be loved.”

If you focus on having a good relationship with God, it can’t help but spill over into your relationships with others, he said, because you will be able to see people and love people the way God sees them and loves them. Smithville Christian High School intentionally creates opportunities for community to grow and flourish because of the relationships that teachers and staff have with God, Park said.

“Each of your teachers has a trust relationship with God,” and wants every student to be known, loved, and valued, and to share that with others. “It’s amazing how many people graduate from this school and stay friends, Park said. “Something good is happening here.”

Park ended his talk by leading students in a guided prayer, in which they thanked God for being made in God’s image, and prayed for God to be present in their friendships.

Student Praise Team Ablaze led in worship with

• Great Things
• Cornerstone
• Reckless Love

Spiritual Emphasis Week took over the afternoon’s activities too, with groups of students, rotating by grade through a games room, an outdoor bonfire, an obstacle course, and a snack room with busking and karaoke.

“You can experience God’s greatness and love in your friendships,” Park encouraged the students. “Make yourself open to that.”