On Wednesday, I went to the funeral of good friend. It was a blessing to be there, as it was the celebration of the life of a humble man. I first knew him as the grandfather of two sisters I taught some time ago, whose face beamed as he watched their achievements on stage, on the sports field and in life. The service finished outside, on the nearby oval, with 80 of us releasing balloons of many colours into the air and watching them disappear up into the clouds, to the sounds of southern African music.
It was a blessing because I learned so much about this man’s faith and his background. He was described, repeatedly, as a giant of a man. My friend had been a refugee from the apartheid regime of South Africa in the early 1970s, and had fled to Australia to protect his family – he himself was a target for being an opponent of the government because of its mistreatment of so many of his friends.
The cross-section of society present at his funeral spoke to this man’s loving manner. The coloured balloons released at the end of the service were symbolic – he invited men and women of all backgrounds into his home, welcomed them regardless of their circumstance, and sought to bond with them through shared faith.
My friend was a Christian with an insatiable desire to be in fellowship with others. At one point, they read the following passage from 1 Corinthians 13:
If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.
4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonour others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
This is a mighty passage containing some incredible insights, and deep, deep challenges to every believer. The words in this passage had me thinking about our fellowship together as a community of Christians here at Donvale Christian College. In fact, it very quickly challenged me to consider the many and varied ways we engage with one another. Parents with parents, staff with staff, staff with parents, staff with students, parents with children (theirs and others). How do greet each other? How do we welcome one another? How do we celebrate achievement? How do we deal with difficult circumstances? How do we resolve differences? How do we seek solutions? How do we plan for the future together?
Paul, in his writing here to the Corinthians, makes it very clear it is not about who “knows God better”, who “has got it all sorted out”. How we come together, placing others before ourselves, rejoicing in truth – these will set the tone for finding a way to fellowship deeply, to seek to know God’s will more deeply. Life can be messy and we all need wisdom – and each other – to know how to navigate its various stages.
We are blessed with a richly diverse community of Christians within our college. Those young in the faith stand alongside those with years of wisdom and experience; we come from a multiplicity of church backgrounds and this is the genius of our community. We share a common bond in our faith in Jesus and the salvation we have received through him; may this bless our engagements, one with another, as we share His love through our love for each other.
educating 4 life, too 
Leave a comment