Scotch College

In Principal – we thank you!

The Chaplain thanks a Principal who always promoted ‘a spirit of reverence in the entire life and work of the College’

All old boys, though not all parents know, that every School assembly begins with Christian devotions. These include reading from the Bible and prayer.

When I said to Bruce (‘Mr Football’) Brown that ‘there was Bible and prayer at Scotch before there was football’, he enjoyed the laugh, but conceded the point! These aspects of Christian worship have always been part of our link with Christians worldwide, and of course, the Presbyterian vision of James Forbes.

In the Memorial Hall, high above the head of the boys who read the Bible are striking figures in stained glass. Three of them bear swords; they are King Arthur with his knight Sir Galahad, idealised leaders in the struggle for the legendary Camelot. With them is Saint Martin, patron saint of soldiers.

What might their weapons represent to us? The most obvious metaphor is the biblical references to the sword of the Spirit as the Word of God. This is the only weapon in the description of the Christian armoury (Ephesians 6) and the means by which the Messiah conquers his enemies (Revelation 19).

One might feel that the whole Bible is more than we need; after all there are dark and bloody bits, especially in the Jewish or Hebrew Bible which Christians call the Old Testament. However, this was the Bible Jesus knew, and which shaped him and his attitudes from his youth. So it is also Holy Scripture for Christians.

The many books that make up the Old Testament deal with the story of the people of Israel. The New Testament deals with the person of Jesus. Saint Augustine said that the New is concealed in the Old, and the Old is revealed in the New. They are inextricably linked.

The most powerful aspect of Jesus’ striking ministry was his teaching; his sayings had point and his parables were double-edged. Many were easy to remember. So the gospels give us a picture of Jesus waging a war of words with his enemies and educating his disciples.

But there was more. His very life embodied the forgiveness, freedom and love of which he spoke. In the fourth Gospel Jesus is himself called ‘the Word’. Jesus is the message. At Christmas we remember ‘the word became flesh and dwelt among us’ (John 1).

The problem is not primarily that the message is not received or understood; it is not even known. Today there is widespread ignorance of the Bible. It is not that it has been read and found wanting; rather, it is an unknown book. Many teenagers know the transcripts of episodes of ‘The Simpsons’ verbatim, but know no chapters of the Bible. Most young people cannot list the Ten Commandments or name the 12 apostles. Scotch tradition opposes this gross ignorance by asking the School to stop and hear the Bible lesson three times a week in assembly.

For 25 years the Principal, Dr Gordon Donaldson has regularly introduced the Bible reading in assembly. His thoughtful introductions have located the reading, its key elements, and main point, typically giving a vital bearing to the listening School. This has been a brief but significant contribution to promoting ‘a spirit of reverence in the entire life and work of the College’ (Scotch College, Memorandum of Association, 1980).

For attention to such detail, this chaplain in particular says ‘thank you’. GS