The Cradle And Cross Of Christ

Luke 2: 22-32

THE CRADLE AND CROSS OF CHRIST

(The C m C of C)

The Story of Concordia Memorial College is the Story of the Cradle and Cross of Christ!

I wish to leave you with the clear imprint today that the heart of CMC is the Cradle and Cross of Christ!

We are all growing older, CMC too...! Yet the old building still stands!

Some of us have wondered what has become of each other. Others of us have wondered what we have become. We may not like it!

There are the famous and infamous students of the past and present: politicians, CEOs, lawyers, activists (.........); sporting greats and “could-have-beens”; the ordinary doctors and the extraordinary mothers and fathers; the mundane pastors and those pastors and laypeople alike who built this institution from scratch with their own money and sweat, possibly unequaled in zealous faith by our generations, followed up by those teachers who impacted the lives of their students in simple and influential ways.

We all love to tell stories about our teachers. I promise that I never tried to take A J (a teacher)out on the Aussie Rules field, but one of my team mates, a sturdy 6 foot 4 inch Queensland basket-baller had many a go, as had one of my class mates. He was a wonderful chap!

We all carry a history. We have memories of CMC; claims to fame and infamy in the history of CMC – ours or our siblings or ancestors. We reflect on our achievements (1st & maybe only day head prefect) and non-achievements (failed and repeated yr 11); our stories; those of others. There is so much to tell - most of it good for a laugh, but not to be taken too seriously since none it will get us to heaven.

I wonder if anyone could have more relatives who went to CMC than my family and I: Ritter, Kowald, Croft, Schultz, Uebergang, Noller, Kessler, Altus, Noack, Buck, Janetski…

I better stop before anyone realizes how inbred CMC’s history is.

If CMC sold indulgences to get but a small percentage of any of these souls out of purgatory it would not need to charge fees.

There are sad stories of the past – multiple memories of deaths....... some with great lessons of eternal hope and restored beauty at the loss of limb and life(Pastor H’s daughter), or the assurance that our College football heroes would live to be men again. Hoopman

There is the incredible: N. N - absolutely amazing A Grade tennis and cricket feats on one leg. He leapt more stairs in one bound than any human alive!

The records…

The underachievers…

The comedians…

The magical…

The beautiful and the…

I had better leave it at that! After all it is not about you! It is not about me! It is not even about Concordia Memorial College!

It is about Christ, His Cradle and His Cross!

We can tell stories till the cows come home. I had the sacred privilege of nursing elderly folk who were on the happier side of senility. The mother of one of Australia’s most famous authors would wake at any time ready to milk the cows. We male nurses were her boys. We would love to see her sleep in so we always had the cows milked and hot Milo on the stove. Another would look out the window and want to chase children out of the cow paddock otherwise called a vacant block of land. Others were tortured souls: octogenarians and a centenarian awarded and MBE guilt ridden with memories of shameful acts.

My wife and I vividly recall the elderly saint tortured by a stroke, unable to utter a sentence, yet who could recite creed and psalm and hymn with us. That is the heritage of hope Concordia gave me as it prepared me to articulate my faith. When all else is gone there will be Christ with His Cradle and His Cross.

The story of Concordia Memorial College is the story of the Cradle “M” Cross of Christ told in the lives of every student and staff member!

In the words of Simeon, “My eyes have seen your salvation…the glory of your people, Israel”.

Glory in the Cradle and Cross of Christ

In the film “Gladiator” the emperor asks Russell Crowe, “What is the glory of Rome?” He answered his own question with the remark “It is an idea”.

They say that you can tell a lot about people by the things that they boast about. What do you glory in? What is your pride and glory? What do you treasure most? What are your best trophies? What would you consider your crowning glory? What would the crowning glory of Concordia be?

Concordia has a lot to be proud of and a lot to boast over in its history and concerning its teachers and students. Concordia’s list of achievers is long and impressive.