O LORD OUR GOD

WHEN YOU WANTED TO TELL US ABOUT YOUR LOVE AND YOUR TRUTH YOU SENT A SPECIAL TEACHER TO US: JESUS OF NAZARETH.

JESUS AS A STUDENT GREW IN WISDOM.

AS A TEACHER HE WAS PATIENT WITH SLOW LEARNERS; HE TAUGHT BY EXAMPLE, BY MODELING; HE USED MANY DIVERSE METHODS – PARTICULARLY STORIES.

BUT ABOVE ALL, HIS LIFE AND HIS TEACHING AGREED WITH EACH OTHER.

HELP US AS STUDENTS AND TEACHERS TO SEARCH PASSIONATELY FOR TRUTH; TO STUDY FOR LOVE OF LEARNING NOT SIMPLY TO PASS EXAMS; TO DO OUR BEST NOT JUST TO PLEASE OUR TEACHERS OR SUPERIORS, BUT BECAUSE WE ARE SERVING YOU, LORD.

YOU HAVE COMMISSIONED US TO GO INTO ALL THE WORLD AND TEACH ALL YOU HAVE COMMANDED US. SO HELP US TO KNOW YOUR COMMANDS WELL, TO PRACTISE THEM, AND THEN TO PASS THEM ON TO OTHERS.

AND SO, WHEN WE MEET YOU FACE TO FACE, WHEN WE’RE GIVEN A GRADE F0R OUR LIFE, MAY WE HEAR YOUR VOICE SAYING TO US: ‘WELL DONE, GOOD AND FAITHFUL STUDENT / WELL DONE GOOD AND FAITHFUL TEACHER, ENTER INTO THE JOY OF YOUR LORD.

AND WE PRAY AS WE DEDICATE OURSELVES AFRESH TO YOU, THROUGH JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD.

AMEN.

(Rowland Croucher)