This morning, our chapel service opened with O Canada and the Land Acknowledgement. Our Chapel Leaders led the singing of our first worship song, “Our God” by Chris Tomlin, before introducing this week’s topic on respect.
This was followed by our “Teacher Interview” segment in which Ms. Romeo and Mr. Bailey shared some of their responses to questions about their experiences. They were asked for examples in which they were shown respect, practical ways to show it, impact from someone’s actions, and to answer why respect is an important trait as a Christian. Some of the key points the teachers made included the following:
- Small acts of kindness to show respect (e.g. opening the door, saying “Good morning”, etc.) have impact
- Kindness, especially in difficult circumstances, go a long way
- Giving someone your full attention (listening) is important
- We are all children of God and need to remember the love, respect and kindness that Jesus has shown us
- Responding to or delivering feedback respectfully is important. Sometimes God uses our parents, teachers or friends, to deliver lessons He wants us to learn. Therefore, we need to listen respectfully.
Students then spent a few moments discussing how they can show respect to others.
Next, three representatives from our Grade 4B class announced the winner of the latest “Golden Dust Pan” award for tidiness in the hallways (e.g hooks, shoes, etc.) and in the classroom. The winning class is Grade 5A!
Our Chapel Leaders then led the singing of “Lord I Lift Your Name on High” by Rick Founds before introducing this week’s speaker, Pastor Phil. He shared the story of how Jesus washed His disciples feet during the Last Supper. He explained that Jesus “flipped that custom on its head”. Traditionally, the washing of someone’s feet was done by a servant. However, Jesus wanted his disciples to feel valued, respected and important. He also wanted them to follow His example of treating others with humility and better than expected. Pastor Phil then switched topics for a moment to story writing and the role of the protagonist. In a story, the main character is the focus and everyone else has a supporting role. Pastor Phil emphasized that we all suffer from “Main Character Energy (MCE)” in our own lives. However, whose main character is the most important? Jesus’s example gives us a clue. When we exude MCE, we limit our focus on others and can actually be disrespecting them. Pastor Phil then shared an important strategy to help us move away from MCE and to give others a chance. He called it the “3 second rule”. He encouraged us to pause for three seconds after someone has talked so that we can process what has been shared, avoid talking over them or think about whether what we want to say adds to the conversation or demonstrates that we have listened. By following the 3 second rule, we give others a chance to shine in their own story. Pastor Phil ended in prayer. He asked God to help us be respectful and to give us moments to listen and help shine our lights on others.
The Chapel Leaders ended the service by leading the audience in reciting our aspirational passage.
