I took the school assembly at Lubenham, Leicestershire today.  It's a super village school.  Small schools produce the best academic outcomes, the best citizens and are the best value for money.  When will the governments of the UK wake up to that demonstrable fact!  See www.smallschools.org.uk.

Interestingly, today's set theme (not looked up until yesterday evening) echoed the theme I took for Yelvertoft Congregational on Sunday morning and partly for Fleckney Baptist in the evening: namely the kingdom of God.  The Leicester Diocese sets the theme for assemblies in their schools and this term we have been working through "The Lord's Prayer".  This week:  "For yours is the kingdom".

I started by talking about the kind of king that Jesus is.  No pomp and ceremony, accompanying army, air force flypast, etc.  I drew on Philippians 2 about his leaving off the splendour and coming as a servant.  If this is how the king behaves how does he expect us to behave.  I then told my story (copyrighted) about Billy the Bubble, and got one of the Reception Class to blow bubbles from a bubble blower.  I concluded by telling them a paraphrased beatitude: "Happy are those who are not big-headed, do not think they are better than others, or boss people about, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven".  You will find it in Matthew 5 (or something similar!).

I launched a painting/crayoning competition and hope to be able to publish some of the pictures.

Have you ever wondered how we might be preaching the gospel if we only had the four gospels as reference?  The gospels have many references to the kingdom of God/kingdom of heaven but few references to salvation.  That pattern in inverted in the epistles.  Even Hebrews has only one reference to the Kingdom of God.  Luke, whose gospel contains the second highest number of references to the kingdom, tells us several times in Acts that Paul preached the gospel of the kingdom.  Is there a danger that our gospel emphasises issues of salvation without teaching about living as part of the kingdom, under the rule and according to the teachings of the humble king?

Back to the topic of school again, last Tuesday I was deeply exercised about the need to encourage Christians and churches to set up regular intercession for their local schools - especially the Secondary School where teachers far too often have discipline problems.  Why not find out the names of teachers in your local school and put them on your prayer list?

If we really get behind our schools in prayer we might see a changed society!