ClickCease

Chapel Blog

Chapel topics in the middle school and high school are based on the Bible verse and theme selected for that school year. The lessons taught by the verse are broken down into monthly themes, and then taught weekly in chapel. Chapel blogs are written by Spiritual Formation Director John Bishop, Westminster administrators and teachers, and even students, and complement the teachings in weekly chapel.

2024

  • Contentment not Consumption

    ‘Tis the season for Christmas movies!

    There is a pattern in Christmas movies where the main character is singled out for having special characteristics. These unique abilities launch them on a journey of self-discovery. Christmas movies, in particular, end with a cathartic, “Ahhh!” as the main character gets what he/she wants, and everything is at peace once again.

    Scott Calvin becomes the Santa Clause by accident, but then becomes the Santa Clause through transformation.

    Buddy is actually a human living with elves who merely tolerate him, but his quirkiness wins him the girl, his father, and acceptance back into the elf community.

    Kevin is a strong-willed child picked on by his family, but his strength turns out to be the virtue that protects him, and his family all see it in the end...until the next year.

    Clark Griswold is a conscientious employee with great ideas, and he “deserves a bonus,” and that’s just what he gets in the end.

    The boy who doubts Santa, is also the one who finds the lost ticket and gets the first gift of Christmas. In the end, the conductor changes his name from “Doubter” to “Believer” and he can still hear the bell at Christmas...ding, ding, ding...
    Read More
  • Yielding in Humility

    When you come to a four-way stop, what do you do? Well, what you should do is follow the rules which are, after a complete stop, 1) the first to arrive goes first, 2) the person on the right goes first, 3) the person going straight goes first. These rules don’t always work and can get confusing sometimes, but generally, they keep us sane.

    I lived in Canada for several years, and the culture there is far more deferential than the culture in the US. So, four-way stops were a nightmare. Their rule seems to be, don’t-ever- go-until-everyone-else-agrees-to-invite-you-to-go-with-a- minimum-of-three-polite-hand-gestures-that-obviously-imply- “No, you go first, sorry.” You’d sit there for hours!

    Can you imagine, in Miami... Miami drivers use a lot of hand gestures at four-way stops too, emphasizing the only universally accepted traffic rule in our city, “me first.”
    Read More
  • Yielding Results

    We are not saved by works; we are saved for them.

    In other words, Jesus is not just our Savior, He is our Lord.

    What does this mean? Well, for the sake of analogy, think about getting into a good school. While you’re writing essays and sending out applications it feels overwhelming – and it is. But writing an essay to get into a school is nothing compared to the many essays you’ll need to write to graduate four years later.

    Getting a job is the same way. It takes very little effort to get a job (relatively speaking), but to keep the job, you have to do a lot of work every day.

    One day after you get married to someone you plan on being with for life, you may have children. You’ll discover that it doesn’t take much to become a father. It takes more to become a mother. But to be a good father or mother is all consuming.

    There’s a pattern to all these examples that the amount of work it takes to get something is a fraction of what is required to succeed once you’ve gotten it. In fact, there’s an old cautionary adage for those of us who are always gazing to the horizon for the next best thing, “be careful how much you fight to get what you want, because you may not want what you get.”

    This is true in our faith, but to the fullest extent. Salvation is a gift of God, meaning we do not do anything to earn God’s gift of salvation. We don’t write an essay, get extra credit for our good ACT (pun intended), no application required. Instead, God in His sovereignty, did all the work to make a place for those whom He calls. It says in Ephesians 2:8-9, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.”
    Read More
  • Yield To Rest

    Electing the president of the United States is a weighty decision. Stepping into the voting booth, especially if
    it’s your first-time voting, can feel overwhelming. The thought, “What if I pick wrong?” may come floating, unbidden into your mind, leaving you feeling the weight of the potentially life-altering vote you’re about to cast. The U.S. presidency is a tremendously important position with global and historical implications, and we get to
    cast our vote.

    These big moments produce anxiety and maybe it’s appropriate. But what about the anxiety we feel in other less significant moments?
    Read More
  • The Man's Hand

    Have you ever said this phrase, “I’m bored!”? Stop it, immediately!

    Being bored is an indictment on you, not on the circumstances or the people around you. That’s why if you ever say, “I’m bored” around me, my response will often be, “There are no boring circumstances, only boring people.” And then I’ll attempt to help you discover something exciting to do in that moment.

    What is being bored? Maybe a lack of creativity, combined with a purposeless listlessness. Maybe it’s laziness, or procrastination. Maybe it’s latent frustration or a sign of some hidden dependency you’ve been deprived of (ahem, like your phone!).

    Boredom could also be about fear. It’s hard to step out of things you’re comfortable doing. It’s hard to meet new people, try new things, run an experiment, test the waters, and stretch your mind. To thrive you’ll need to get good at never being bored and solving your boredom requires you to stretch your faith, to step out into the unknown on an adventure. Or you can just play another game of Brawl Stars...BORING!!
    Read More
  • The Withered Fig Tree

    Have you ever seen someone lose their cool over something that, to you, feels pretty small? Maybe it happened in class. Someone gets fed up and lashes out and no one knows why. Maybe you’ve seen your parents do it, and all of a sudden, you’re in trouble, and you don’t know why. Maybe you’ve seen someone lose it in a restaurant or in traffic.

    I think, had we been one of the disciples, we might have felt that way about Jesus on the day He was leading them back into the city. in Matthew 21 Jesus walks up to a fig tree to get some figs because he’s hungry. But this fig tree didn’t have fruit, so Jesus curses it, and it withers and dies! What?!
    Read More
  • Time is Withering Away

    Buzzer beaters! The ultimate hero moment in sports. The team’s down by two. It’s going to take a three pointer to win the game, but Curry has the ball. The crowd is tense with anticipation. Swish. AHHHHHH!!!!
    Down by three points, we just need to get to field goal range. Offensive pass interference the ball is placed at the spot of the fowl. Three yards to go and only 6 seconds on the clock. No one has any fingernails left. Hike! Quarterback sneak. TOUCHDOWN!!!!! AHHHHHH!!!!!
    Read More
  • Deal with Your Debt (Debt)

    Article Summary

    Debt MUST be paid. The habit of spending more than you earn will not go well for you. Even the luxuries you enjoy on borrowed money will ultimately lose their luster when the bill comes due. The scripture has a lot to say about debt like, "the borrower is slave to the lender" and "sin is a debt that must be paid to God." How we live our financial lives gives us a clue as to our beliefs about life in general. If we wrack up debt to get stuff, chances are really good we're also neglecting our debts with God. Instead, try to live debt free. Avoid using credit or borrowed money to get the thing you want now. Work a little to earn some money and feel the satisfaction of paying your way. And, instead of gambling your life on the belief that there will be no eternal consequences for leaving your debt of sin unpaid, trust in Christ and have peace in your soul. 
    Read More
  • Wait for It (Investing)

    Article Summary 

    Waiting is hard because it’s ultimately about denying ourselves, and we don’t want to deny ourselves the things we want. But, in denying myself the things I want today, I often get the things I really want and need later. To become a successful investor, for example, you have to get used to waiting. Sadly, our desire to get what we want now is steadily decreasing our ability to wait, costing us dearly in the long run. If this matters with money, it absolutely matters with our souls. “What does it matter if a man gains the world, but loses his soul?” Jesus asks. How do we respond? Wait for it…  
     
    Read More
  • Put it in the Bank (Saving)

    Article Summary

    Money matters! What we think about it, what we do with it, and whether we have it or not. It is not a neutral part of life. As such, Jesus has specific and often challenging things to say about money. In Matthew 6:19-21 he tells us to place greater emphasis on our investments in heaven than in our investments on earth. But how many of us place our faith in our bank accounts? In the same way that the tree in Psalm 1:3 thrives by being rooted in the bank of a river, we will thrive by rooting ourselves in the bank of Jesus' living water. 
    Read More
  • PS/ES Chapel Update: September 17

    Parents, where is your favorite place to pray? My favorite place at Westminster is in the Wild Acre. I enjoy the peace being in God's creation gives me. Ask your child where his/her favorite place is to pray and share yours. This week in chapel we talked about one of the faith habits - talking to God! We can talk to God anywhere, anytime, about anything! Amazing to think that the God of all creation wants to hear from me! What a blessing God has given us. We challenged each student to spend time EVERY day this week in prayer - talking to and listening to God. Please encourage your child with this prayer challenge. This is one way we can grow and THRIVE!
    Read More
  • The River to the Tree of Life

    Article Summary

    In my childhood, I sat beside a river in the beautiful warmth and joy of summer and got a glimpse of heaven. But today that river is decayed and broken, and those memories are faded and filled with sorrow and loss. But that’s because this is not my home, and it’s not yours either. There is a day coming when all who know Jesus as Lord and Savior will sit together by a crystal-clear river basking in the beautiful warmth of God’s radiant glory, eating of the tree of life. And this will never fade to memory or fall into decay. It will simply be perfect joy, forever. Seem difficult to believe? Seem like the beginning of a fairy tale? It’s not! It is the promise of God in scripture. 
    Read More
  • Deep Well to Flowing River

    Article Summary

    When, at last, we embrace the life of the Spirit we do not just quench our own thirst, satisfying the gnawing longing for eternity through faith in Jesus, we also become a well of life that springs up for others. Not only do we get what we need most from Jesus, but, through Him, we become what others need. Through the living water Jesus gives, we change from being a leaky vessel, to a living vessel filled to overflowing with living water. 
    Read More
  • Leaky Vessel at Jacob's Well

    Article Summary

    Just like you can’t drink salt water to quench your thirst, you can’t use material stuff to heal spiritual sickness; but we still try. We fill our lives full, avoid bad stuff, and try to escape from betrayal and pain. We buy stuff to pad our lives with comforts and fill our schedules with lots of distractions hoping to quench our spiritual thirst. But these things are leaky buckets, they cannot fulfill or enrich our lives for very long. We are like the woman standing at Jacob’s well in John 4, in the right place trying to solve the problem but putting our hope in a leaky bucket made from clay that will only run dry again. We need a better way. 
    Read More
  • Be Refreshed

    Article Summary

    We've all had the experience of walking a lot and getting tired. And whether it's a long day at the amusement park or the mandatory water break in a sport, we need to drink water to be refreshed. But how are we refreshed when we become spiritually fatigued? Jesus presents Himself in Psalm 1:3 as a stream of water which nourishes and refreshes the thriving tree. The personal spiritual disciplines of our faith are like water to a parched soul. We need to drink deeply of God's presence in worship, His love from His community, and His truth and guidance through His word and His Spirit. To thrive in Christ, we must be refreshed through personal discipline and devotion to His ways.
     
    Read More
  • Be Planted

    Article Summary 

    Thriving is not just a call to follow Jesus, it is also a call to be planted. "That person" is planted by streams of water Psalm 1:3 tells us. The world is rapidly changing, it always has been, but as Christians we’re called to weather the storm well, and give honor to God. Are you planted on a firm foundation in your life? Being rooted in a local church is an important way we stand firm in an ever-shifting world. The invitation is open, if you want to thrive, you need to be planted in His Church. 
    Read More
  • Theme and Verse for the 2024-25 School Year

    THRIVE

    Psalm 1:3 – “That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not whither – whatever they do prospers.”
     
    This brief article by Director of Spiritual Formation John Bishop sheds light on the 2024-25 theme and verse. In the article he shares examples of the kinds of tensions our theme and verse will help us unpack throughout the year. Below is the design that will represent the message of the theme and verse. 

    What Does it Mean to Thrive?

    Next school year, we want to thrive, as individuals, in our families, at school, and as a community. We want our work to matter and to produce great results. We want the effort of our minds to give us insight and wisdom. We want our relationships to bloom with love, joy, contentment, and peace. We want our systems to run smoothly, our governments to strike the right balance, our neighborhoods to protect our sense of security. Our money to swell, our possessions to remain pristine, and our moods and emotions to remain under our control.

    By contrast, we don’t want to waste time and effort or to have our hard-earned recognition be taken by someone else. We don’t want our investments to diminish or our decisions to result in suffering for us or those we love. We don’t want our deeply held convictions to be dismissed, and we don’t want to find that we’re addicted, or angry, or depressed, or sick.

    So, what do we really want? In short, we want the paradise God created back in Eden. How do we get what we want? 

    But how did we lose it? Scripture teaches us in Genesis 1-3 that we lost it when Adam and Eve reached out and took the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil in the garden. Perhaps you’re tempted to feel cheated by this, thinking, “That’s not my fault. If I had been there, I wouldn’t have doomed humanity to permanent suffering and death.”

    Wouldn’t we though? Adam and Eve did it in Eden, but so did the disciples in Gethsemane. The church did it during the crusades, and again in the colonial conquest of the Americas, and when African people were being imported as slaves. Would we have stood opposed to the wicked and destructive actions of those in power? Did the Germans during WWII or the Russians, or Chinese or warring tribes in Rwanda? We can look back and understand with compassion that none of these people, Adam and Eve included, knew what the future would hold. Most of them, at the time, could NOT possibly have understood the ramifications of their complicit silence, and seemingly innocent turning-the-other-way in the moment. But their ignorance does not make them innocent, and it certainly does not reverse the effects of their actions or inactions on the rest of us.

    And we are guilty as well, though we don’t like to think about it like that. But sin doesn’t begin with wanton destruction, it begins with avoiding the hard work demanded of us today. It does not begin in bitterness, divorce, betrayal, and scandal, it begins in our choice not to hold back our biting words to those we love when we feel angry, hungry, and/or tired. Cain, in Genesis 4:7, discovered this about sin. It does not come at us in the obvious way that we might resist it; instead, it “crouches at the door…”, and we must resist it or we will find ourselves giving in to our pressing desires for relief, pleasure, and power over others, and in that way sacrificing our futures too, to the devastating effects of sin.

    We want paradise back, but our sins have made that impossible, and we’ve got no one to blame but ourselves. So, how do we close the gap?

    We don’t! But Jesus did. Jesus never left paradise! He never gave in to His fleshly desires or said something he later regretted. Jesus stayed with God in the garden of Eden and when we found him in the garden of Gethsemane our envy led us to kill him for it. But praise God, He is not resentful, spiteful, vengeful, and malicious like we are, because instead of retribution, which is what we deserve, He extends an invitation to come home.

    That person, [who places their faith in Jesus and abides in Him], will be like a prospering tree. We can have what we want this year, by giving up everything we are and everything we have and trusting in and abiding in Jesus, who promises to give us back the desires of our heart. We can reenter paradise with Him, bit-by-bit in this life and completely in eternity. Then, like the psalmist says, we can, “Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name.” (Psalm 100:4)

    Let us, therefore, move toward next year with hope that we can get what we want, and let us discover that what we really want is to be found in Jesus. I invite you to join us in the often difficult and frustrating journey of dying to yourself, that we might thrive together in Christ.
    Read More
< 2024
Westminster Christian School, located in Palmetto Bay, Florida, is a private, college-preparatory school for children from preschool through twelfth grade.