Friday Assembly: Headmaster’s Address (January 5, 2018)
Proverbs 28:19 (NKJV)
He who tills his land will have plenty of bread,
But he who follows frivolity will have poverty enough!
Tomorrow is Epiphany. Epiphany is the day in the church calendar when the wise men came to lay their gifts before Jesus. Epiphany means “the showing forth.” It is when Christ is shown to the people of all nations—and not just to the Jews—as the Savior.
In some ways, our Proverb of the week reminds me of Epiphany. The proverb talks about hard work. Now, the wise men didn’t have to plow fields, but they did have to work hard to travel from the east. They probably began their journey somewhere around the ancient city of Babylon. From there to Jerusalem was over 800 miles—and they had to go by camel, not by car. The journey was hard work.
Our proverb also warns us not to follow frivolity. Frivolity is anything that’s not important. In their journey, the wise men followed something very different than frivolity. They followed a star that was bringing them to someone very important—Jesus. And by the light of the star they came to the house where the Light of the World was lodged.
After working hard and following the right thing, the wise men ended their journey in the town of Bethlehem. Do you know what the name Bethlehem means in Hebrew? “House of Bread.” The wise men’s hard work, their following of the right thing, brought them to the House of Bread. And what did they find in Bethlehem? They found the Bread of Life—Jesus. The Greater Joseph who would feed the whole world.
So, while our Proverb for the week has important lessons for us as students—the lesson that we should work hard if we want blessings—we can also see a little picture of the story of Epiphany in it too.
So, work hard. Don’t follow frivolity. Follow the Light of the World instead. Follow it to the house of Jesus, the Bread of Life. And when you do, you will find the opposite of poverty. You will find the riches of knowing Christ, a treasure that sparkles like gold, and sweetens the air like frankincense and myrrh.
Paideia Living 