Thanksgiving III - (As a Community Builder) Participates or Initiates school improvement projects

Who here likes to play police and thief?

Who likes to be the good guy?

Who likes to be the bad guys?

As good saints who practise TRUE WISE values, we would think that everyone should want to be the good guys, right?

But I heard a comment yesterday that made me think:

“Nobody remembers the good guys, but everybody remembers the bad guy.”

Who agrees with this sentence?

I think in an ideal world, ALL of us want to be the good guys.

But after a while of doing good, of trying to improve things, sometimes we think of giving up.

That’s probably the reason why the Apostle Paul had to write these words to his friends in Galatia:

Galatians 6:9 “And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.”

And this is the big idea I want everyone to think about for today: Don’t give up doing good.

Don’t give up doing good.

Why? Because in due season we will reap, if we don’t give up.

Because when it’s time to get the reward, you’ll be able to say with pride that,

I’ve done my best, I’ve didn’t give up, and look - in the end it was the best choice to do good.

But why should I want to do good?

When doing bad is easier and benefits me more?

Well, the simple answer is that doing good practises the value of thanksgiving.

When we do good, we remember that other people in front of me have done good.

Like the 2nd verse in our school hymn reminds us “we reap what they have sown”.

But this is here, now, in the present.

In the past, we’re told that “They’ve reaped not where they laboured”.

Meaning that they’ve done so much good, but in the end they didn’t get to reap it.

Doing good, as a community builder who participates or initiates school improvement projects, for example, may be seen immediately.

But some things, like this quadrangle, which is named after Canon Sorby Adam, was never seen by him in his lifetime.

That doesn’t mean we give up doing good.

In fact, the hymn continues: “Our harvest may be garnered, by ages yet unknown.”

Because “The days of old have dowered us with gifts beyond all praise”

Because we have received some much from the people who have come before us,

let us be thankful and faithful in saying,

“Our Father make us faithful to serve the coming days.”

So when we sing the school hymn later, I want you to pay special attention to this 2nd verse.

I close with this encouragement from the Apostle Paul from Galatians 6:10:

“So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.”