ReverentLet us be grateful and worship God in a way that will please him, with reverence and awe Hebrews 13 v28b
Definition: To have deep respect for a person, place or idea.
Key Words: Respect, awe, wonder, spiritual, cherish, discerning, worship, humble.
Biblical Example: The Psalmist writes that ‘the way to be wise is to honour the Lord’ (Psalm 111 v10). For those familiar with older translations of the Bible the concept of being ‘God fearing’ still resonates. Captured in this understanding is a sense of recognising who God is and who we are in relation to that understanding. By extension, those around us made in the image of God are also worthy of respect and dignity.
To be reverent is to have a sense of scale and of our own worth as children of God. Misunderstood it might seem demeaning or overly reverential to authority. A sense of reverence will require us to be honest about ourselves and our shortcomings, as we measure ourselves by God’s perfect standards, but properly understood it offers a sense of value and demands fair treatment for all those made in God’s image. It certainly includes the ability to wonder at creation and to give praise and worship, to be surprised and to see things from new perspectives.
In The Classroom: To enable every student to recognise the importance of every individual, their feelings, rights and responsibilities, regardless of gender, background, culture, race, sexuality, class or any other classification, is a challenge we begin to meet from their first day. Including all, turn taking, sharing resources, listening to other opinions. These all demonstrate the respect we have for others. When we challenge prejudice and practice inclusion, we live out reverence and respect.
Around The Academy: The way we move and the way we line up shows the respect we have for others. The language we use to describe people can respect them or diminish them. As a community we work to show respect for all our members, in our words and actions. We act swiftly to challenge when behaviour and attitudes undermine or hurt others and we rightly celebrate the success and achievements we share. When we pray, all bow their heads as a mark of respect, similarly, entry to collective worship assemblies are silent. We insist on high standards when we receive visitors and when on trips. Corporate events such as Remembrance, are occasions when the whole Academy community come together and are marked by a sense of reverence.