By Rev. Andy Fleming, Associate Chaplain

Last Sunday, two Radford College students, Lawrence Cookson (Year 7) and Ciara O’Brien (Year 8), along with Secondary School teacher, Mr Stuart Mitchell, confirmed their faith and God’s love in their lives. Clementine Cookson (Year 5) also received her first communion. The Right Reverend Dr Mark Short, Bishop of Canberra and Goulburn, led a combined service with the South Sudanese congregation who meet in the Radford College Chapel on Sundays. This congregation also celebrated 14 of their young people being confirmed.

The service was a wonderful celebration of faith. Reverend Monica Aguang of the South Sudanese congregation and Rev. Katherine Rainger, Radford College's Senior Chaplain, supported Bishop Mark who confirmed each candidate. Confirmation is a significant stage in an individual’s journey of faith. In a time when society values commitment to faith less and less, I am in awe of young people who take courage to publicly affirm their faith.

Another time I was filled with awe was during the Central Australia trip in the winter holidays. Accompanying a group of Year 7 and 8 students, we enjoyed engaging with Creation and learning a great many things about how Creation enhanced the lives First Nations peoples.

Every day I was filled with awe and wonder, whether because of the vastness of the red desert, looking at a proper star filled night sky, or standing next to a rock whose circumference is greater than the size of the Melbourne CBD.

One of the things that captivated me was walking around the rim of King’s Canyon. There are many wonders around the canyon – the way the canyon was formed over millions of years from what was initially a great inland sea, leaving behind unique sandstone dome-like formations. It is hard to imagine that there could ever been a sea in this part of the world. Incredibly, there is a species of cycad which has survived here despite the conditions becoming drier over the years. Scientists estimate that some of the cycads we saw to be more than 400 years old.

There are many things in Creation that leave us filled with awe and wonder. As we begin this new term, consider what fills you with awe and wonder.

Creator God,

Thank you for the times of rest, for the joy we find in the break in routine. For the moments of awe when we engage with Creation. I pray for each of us that we are able to remember the times we have the opportunity to be in and amongst those moments of awe and wonder – the vast expanse of a desert or the enormous depths of an ocean and the grandeur of mountains; the way animals move, flowers bloom and when holding newborn babies. I pray for the staff and students beginning their time at Radford. May your blessings flow in this community as we start the new semester.

Amen.