In our staff devotion this week, I was introduced to the work of Timothy Schmalz. Timothy is a Christian large-scale sculptor with commissioned pieces all over the world. You may have previously seen pictures of his works ‘Homeless Jesus’ or his ‘Stations of the Cross’ series. He is committed to creating work that glorifies Christ, and he sees his vocation being to create visual translations of the Bible.
As we draw closer to celebrating the birth of our Saviour, I’ve included a picture of Schmalz’s ‘A Quiet Moment’ to reflect on. As with all his work, I love the detail Schmalz has added but also how he has captured the youth of Mary and Joseph. I think this artwork captures the birth of Jesus as depicted in Luke’s gospel really well. In the second chapter of Luke (Luke 2:1-7 ESV), we are told that Mary and Joseph had to travel a long distance and when they arrived at their destination, there was no room in the inn. On their own with livestock as company, this family of two became three, and our broken world gained a Saviour.
Through the busyness of this holiday season, I hope that you are able to find some quite moments yourself to reflect and keep your focus on Jesus, and maybe this image is a nice piece to reflect on and help you do that.
As part of our last newsletter for 2023, we want to thank our administrators, teachers, leaders and directors. Your continuous and tireless work for our Schools and Early Childhood Services does not go unnoticed. We recognise the effort you have given to care for our students and instil a love for learning in them.
Thank you for your commitment to upholding a culture of quality education for those in your care, no matter the circumstances. We recognise the difficulties you have faced this year, and want to celebrate your resilience through those times.
You spend so much of your time caring for others, whether this be parents, children or your colleagues. We hope that you are able to find some time to look after yourselves over this break. To refresh, spend time with those you love and celebrate the birth of our Saviour. If you are travelling, we pray that this will be safe and enjoyable, and that you enter the new year with joy.
Blessings,
The LEVNT Team
