“Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel (good news) I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.” (1 Corinthians 15:1-2)
During the summer, Christian Life Director Blake Hickman and our leadership team chose “Good News” to be our theme for the 2021-22 school year. The motivation behind this decision was that despite the challenges of the past few years, as followers of Christ, we have the incredible opportunity and obligation to share the good news that is the Gospel - the truth that Jesus Christ has overcome all of the evil in the world. Our salvation rests in Him, which is the greatest good news possible.
Recent events have made it difficult to focus on the good news. Over the course of the past month, COVID numbers continue to rise and we are inundated with reports of overwhelmed hospitals. We’ve seen communities in Western North Carolina devastated by flooding, a scene that was repeated in parts of Tennessee. The news of the past week has been dominated by gut-wrenching scenes from Afghanistan. One image captured a parent handing an infant over a barbed-wire fence to American marines in a desperate attempt to save the child from Taliban rule. On Thursday, a coordinated attack that included suicide bombers led to the horrific loss of 13 American servicemen and at least 90 Afghans. These American heroes died while trying to help people escape to a better life. Tragically, news reports state that officials anticipate there will be additional attacks on our soldiers and the people fleeing Afghanistan in the coming days.
To this end, this evening and throughout the coming days, I encourage our GRACE community to devote extra time in prayer. Continue to pray for our nation as a whole as we face COVID, weather-related issues, and other challenges, but please pray specifically for our servicemen and women across the globe, but especially those serving in Afghanistan. In a time when our nation is divided on so many issues, may we find unity in praying for the men and women who serve our country. Pray for those who lost loved ones in the attack earlier this week and for the families whose loved ones continue to serve in harm's way. Please pray for the Afghan people and refugees, as well as for the missionaries who serve that nation.
Amidst these challenging times, this is when we, as a community of believers, need to shine the light of Christ like never before. I encourage you to turn back to the beautiful truth of I Corinthians 15. The chapter begins with Paul reminding his audience of the good news, and concludes with this amazing encouragement that is powerful today as it was 2000 years ago - “Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.”
Take care,
Eric Bradley
Head of School
