GREATER
Over the years we’ve sometimes fielded the question of why Ripon Christian chooses a new school theme each year. The development of our annual school theme helps provide a framework in which chapels and classroom discussions can be based around. In addition, our theme helps establish a renewed spiritual climate and focus from year to year, provides teachers a springboard to engage students in spiritual conversations, and assists in one of our primary goals: to help students Connect Faith and Learning. In other words, school-wide themes are vital in helping a Christian School fulfill their mission on a yearly basis! Choosing a school theme is a long, but rewarding process.
This year’s school-wide theme is “Greater” and is based on 1 Chronicles 29:11 which states, “Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the Kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head above all.”
1 Chronicles 29 provides a detailed account of the preparations made by King David for the construction of the temple in Jerusalem and his final words to the people before his death. The chapter begins with David publicly declaring his intention to build a house for the Lord, expressing his deep devotion and desire to honor God. David praises God for the generosity of the people and acknowledges that all things belong to Him. He offers a prayer of gratitude and acknowledges God's greatness, power, glory, and majesty. David recognizes that the temple project is not only about the physical building but also about the spiritual legacy it will leave for future generations. He prays for Solomon, his son, who will be entrusted with the task of building the temple, and he encourages Solomon to wholeheartedly seek and serve God. David's final words inspire the assembly to worship God with joy and gratitude.
Self-serving worldviews such as, “Dream Big, Achieve Greatness”, “Be Your Own Hero”, or “You are the author of your own story” have become commonplace within today’s culture. The significance of 1 Chronicles 29:11 for a school theme lies in its emphasis on recognizing and acknowledging the greatness and sovereignty of God. This is countercultural for we acknowledge that He alone is worthy of all honor, exalted as head over all, and the Source of all blessing. While a school is called to pursue excellence in academics and extracurriculars, acknowledging God’s greatness, power, glory, and majesty must lie at the heart of all we endeavor to do. Over the year we plan to explore these truths more in-depth and seek to acknowledge God’s greatness in all we do! We are excited to unpack “Greater” with our students this year!