Fear Not! Graduation 2007 - Rehoboth Christian School

Has God Forgotten to be Merciful?? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?I must acknowledge that those were my thoughts on May 24, when wereceived the tragic news that yet another one of our students had died, this oneRenzo Fowler, a sweet 7 th grade boy (see full story on page three). Within aspan of less than five years, we have lost three students. Further, we have lostthree former students, all of whom yet had close ties to the school. At somepoint, one wonders how much our small school community can bear?When out of words and answers, where else does one turn but to the Word ofGod? Rather quickly I came upon Psalm 77, which rather audaciously asks thebig question that philosophers and preachers and ordinary people have askedfor centuries—“Has God forgotten to be merciful?” (vs. 9a). Or another way—isthere a good God?But that question is answered in the remainder of Psalm 77—“Then I thought,‘To this I will appeal: the years when the Most High stretched out his right hand. Iwill remember the deeds of the Lord…’” The Psalm goes on with lines like these:Vs. 12—I will consider all your works and meditate on all your mighty deeds.by Ron Polinder, Executive DirectorVs. 13—…what god is as great as our God?Vs. 16—The waters saw you, God, the water saw you and writhed.Vs. 17—The clouds poured down water, the heavens resounded with thunder…Vs 19—Your path led through the sea…though your footprints were not seen.Vs 20—You led your people like a flock…As difficult and painful as it was to lose Renzo on the last day of the schoolyear, we must come back to our belief that the Lord has stretched out his handto Rehoboth, now for 104 years. So we collect our faith and our assuranceand our hope, and we look back on a year in which surely the Lord stretchedout his hand to us. So like that Psalmist, we do well to count the ways, to listthem, and to give thanks for them for 06/07.• For 27 graduates who have been well-prepared with a Christian foundationto face the world and higher education or military service.• For Senior Presentations and 8 th grade Future Presentations that demonstrateso clearly how a Christian mind and heart is being shaped in our students.• For faithful teachers and administrators who have poured their lives into ourstudents. To some we must say good bye. But new staff has been appointedand will soon be in the harness!• For a fabulous new athletic field and track in the middle of the desert, onwhich our students could already play as the year closed out.• For the prospect of a new gym, now already half-completed, with plans todedicate the new facilities on Nov. 9 and 10.• For a marvelous choir tour to Germany for 43 of our students, parents andstaff, enabling them to minister to a family and community that has nowbecome part of us.• For the invitation from the Christian Reformed 150 th CentennialCommittee to have the Rehoboth choir be a lead group in the 12,000 seat VanAndel arena!• For supports and donors and prayer warriors who make it financiallypossible to keep Rehoboth alive and strong, both on a yearly basis, but also aswe renew our facilities.This closes out my 39 th year in education—that is a long time to participateand observe. And instinctively one asks and wonders what does all this mean,what comes of it? Or to use the words of “the Fiddler”, “one season, followinganother, ladened with happiness and tears.” We try to be faithful, but 77:15reminds us of who we are and who God is, “you display your power among thepeoples—with your mighty arm you redeem…”. There it is we rest!2 Rehoboth Christian Summer 2007