Convocation: Looking Ahead to A Year of Blessing

One day as he saw the crowds gathering, Jesus went up on the mountainside and sat down. His disciples gathered around him, and he began to teach them.

"God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.
God blesses those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
God blesses those who are humble, for they will inherit the whole earth.
God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they will be satisfied.
God blesses those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God.
God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God.
God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs."  – Matthew 5:1-10

Parents, friends, guests, students, faculty, and staff were all welcomed to Boston Trinity Academy's 17^th Annual Convocation by Headmaster Frank Guerra on Wednesday morning. Mr. Guerra spoke of both the mission statement and motto, which reflect the integration of faith, learning, and purpose that BTA strives to achieve. He reminded all that Wednesday morning's service was a time to celebrate God's present blessings as well as to look forward to His future blessings.

Bringing a warm welcome on behalf of the Board of Trustees, Board Chairman Mr. Robert Bradley also stressed that Convocation is a time of worship and thanks to God for His steadfast love and faithfulness, and to ask His blessing on the coming year. Mr. Bradley encouraged the students to take advantage of the opportunities offered them at Boston Trinity. "What you do here matters," he said. "Make your life count!"

The morning's address was delivered by Reverend Mark Booker (Chloe), Senior Pastor of Church of the Cross, Boston. He chose to focus on verse 8 of the above passage: God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God. Rev. Booker challenged the audience to use this verse as a "guardrail," a principle to guide one throughout life. "It's all about your heart," he said, "motives, purity, holiness. The pure in heart will see God."

 He went on to say that God is our greatest treasure, our greatest reward, the only One who can satisfy the longings of our hearts. If a person doesn't believe this, Rev. Booker said, the verse falls a little flat, but the truth is that nothing other than God will satisfy our longings. The heart of the Christian story is a good and loving God.

Understanding who God is and that He is truly the greatest treasure is the key to purity of heart, Rev. Booker continued. He then outlined three responses that will follow once we grasp this.

1)      We will move toward a desire of God above anything else. Whatever our strongest desire is, all other desires will fall under (submit to) it.

2)      We will long to give ourselves fully to God. He has called us to Himself, but human tendency is to "keep our options open," waiting for something else to come along, refusing to surrender completely. "Where are those parts of your life you're holding on to?" he asked.

3)      We will eradicate the parts of our lives that keep us running from God: lusts of the flesh and pride of life. Rev. Booker compared life to a garden that must be continually tended – we have to keep pulling out the "weeds." "This is a really personal matter for each one of you," he said.

"You can never hide from God," he stated. "This is scary but incredibly reassuring. The one thing worth having in the entire world is God." He also said that purity of heart requires growth: the more we grow the more we will see our own impurities. This leads to deep humility.

He concluded by reminding all that God never gives up on us. He exhorted the students that if they will take this principle – purity of heart – and plant it deep, it will guide them through the rest of this year, the rest of their years at BTA, and through the rest of their lives.

Parents and guests enjoyed a lovely reception after the service, provided by the Development Department and Parent Association.