Scotch College

Being part of God’s restoration of all things

Scotch boys will soon be invited to commit to improving social and environmental outcomes, not for themselves, but for others.

The first car my father owned in Australia was bought in 1956 on 10 shillings (one dollar) deposit. The full cost was £15 ($30). It was a bargain-priced 1926 Bullnose Morris. We called her Gwendolyn. She had a soft top but needed new roof bows, so we travelled with the roof folded. I recall my parents sitting in the front under an umbrella and me and my brothers in the back, sheltering under a tarp. It was cool.

Once in Lygon Street, while my parents were shopping, men crowded round and asked me if they could lift the bonnet. They were amazed with the simplicity of the motor, especially the carburettor. In the end, Dad loaned Gwendolyn to a friend who overloaded it (two adults and eight kids) and burned out the clutch. Eventually she was sold to two young men, who planned to cannibalise her for spare parts to restore their car. When they saw Gwendolyn they knew they would be restoring her because she was in so much better condition than the car they owned. They bought her for £15.

Later, in 1963 when my best mate Wolfie was earning money, he bought his first car. It also had a Morris badge, from Morris Garages. It was an MG TC, but in shocking condition. He garaged it at my place because my dad had the know-how and a terrific collection of tools; and we loved it and toiled over it, even rewired it without a loom – how crazy we were! – till she came back to life. I will never forget the day we set off on our camping tour, our gear strapped on the luggage rack behind the spare wheel. That was really cool.

There is something very appealing about the cherishing and restoring of old things. Of course it doesn’t have to be old cars. Old items in mint condition have terrific appeal. I don’t think it’s just something that develops as we grow into ‘old things’ ourselves; it seems more generic than geriatric. There is a sense of relief that not everything turns into rubbish, but that the tendency of things to decay can be reversed with an investment of energy and loving intention.

The apostle Paul wrote the climactic eighth chapter of his letter to the Romans with this sense of relief that not all things will decay, but will finally be restored. He wrote that God’s loving intention and energy will finally be revealed in a restoration of his creation ‘the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.’ (8:21) Jesus encouraged his disciples to work towards and pray for this ultimate end. He said to ask the Father saying: ‘your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven’.

At school we seek to encourage boys to contribute in as wide a range of ways as possible by adding value and restoring quality wherever they can. There is much to be done. It may be as tangible as participating in global village or by a personal affirmation of indigenous Australians; it might be relational in other ways, a blow against bullying or an innovative scientific contribution to environmental restoration. The task is very earthy and the scope is endless.

At the end of this term the annual Mission Week will challenge boys to be part of God’s Restoration of All Things. Boys will be invited to commit to improving social and environmental outcomes, not primarily for themselves, but for others. In this way they can participate in a Christian vision for the world as it should be; a future that begins with a personal commitment to Jesus and expresses itself in corporate endeavour. GS