Year 1 Term 5 - Respect

When the weather improves we are often able to go outside and think about God’s Wonderful World and the respect it deserves. Respect is important in many aspects of our lives. It is linked to friendship, forgiveness, thankfulness and compassion. As Moses approached the presence of God in the burning bush, God said to him: ‘Do not come any closer. Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.’ This scene captures something of the essence of Christian respect or ‘reverence.’ Respect and reverence are the proper human responses to what is holy and sacred. It is this profound respect that is expressed in the Biblical phrase ‘the fear of the Lord’. This is not fear in the sense of terror but a reverent acknowledgment of God’s greatness and our complete dependence. This is the proper response to the mystery of life and death, or to the created world in which we live. This profound respect for God is the spring from which true worship flows. Although only God is truly worthy of reverence and worship, the Bible also contains the related concept of ‘honouring’. We are asked to honour one another and one of the ten commandments instructs us to honour our father and mother (or those who care for us). In our work we teach the children about appreciating what's done for them; cooperation not conflict; taking responsibility. We teach about celebrating our gifts and talents; looking after ourselves; nurturing the best we can be; honouring how God has made us; being confident about who we are; earning the respect of others. We also teach about respecting God’s wonderful world.