How to Make Practical Use of a Biblical-Theme

Dr. Barrett Mosbacker

Dr. Barrett Mosbacker

— 4 min read

By Dr. Barrett Mosbacker

I have made a practice of selecting a biblical theme for each school year. The theme is a biblical truth, principle, or value accompanied by corresponding Bible verses. For example, over the last several years I have selected the following themes and verses:

  • The Fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22)
  • Unity (1 Peter 3:8–9; 1 Corinthians 13:4ff; Psalm 133; Philippians 2:3–8)
  • Reaching Higher (Matthew 5:14–16; Colossians 1:9–12)

“Reaching Higher” became what I call a “meta-theme.” Every subsequent theme begins with “Reaching Higher” followed by the specific focus for that year:

  • Reaching Higher: Love Your Neighbor (Matthew 22:36–40; Matthew 7:12)
  • Reaching Higher: Gratitude (Colossians 2:6–7; Colossians 3:15, 17; Psalm 50:23)
  • Reaching Higher: Holiness (Isaiah 6:3; Romans 12:1–2; Ephesians 5:1–10; 1 Peter 1:14–16; 3 John 1:11)

Practical Ways to Use a Biblical Theme

The purpose of the theme is to direct the attention of the school community toward a specific biblical truth, allowing the Lord to use it to transform lives and nurture a Christ-honoring school culture. To be effective, the theme must be visible and thoughtfully integrated into the school’s programs and conversations. Here are a few practical ways this can be done.

  • Use the theme to provide a biblical focus for staff and student devotionals and chapels.
    • I share a monthly devotional with school staff. For the theme of holiness, I planned the following topics:

    • August: Why Is Holiness Important?
    • September: Holiness and Sin Defined
    • October: Compassion without Compromise
    • December: God’s Provision for Sin and Salvation
    • January: Holiness, a Joint Venture between God and Man
    • February: Holiness in Mind, Spirit, and Body
    • March: Holiness in Relationships and Speech
    • April: The Pursuit and Practice of Holiness

  • Use the theme in school presentations and communications.
    • Each August, I send a welcome letter to the school community introducing that year’s theme. Below is the letter I sent for the theme of gratitude.

    Welcome to a New School Year!

    Dear Parents,

    Welcome back to school. We look forward to having everyone back on campus. A warm welcome to our new parents and students. We are delighted to have you joining our Westminster family.

    Theme for the New School Year: Reaching Higher: Gratitude

    Each year I develop a school theme and select corresponding Bible verses to guide our spiritual focus for the year, including our chapel services, staff devotionals, and various Bible studies. The school theme also provides biblical principles for how we treat one another in Christian community.

    This year’s school theme is Reaching Higher: Gratitude. I have chosen this theme because, sadly, one of the hallmarks increasingly evident in our society is a sense of entitlement and, along with it, a complaining, critical spirit.

    As believers, Christ calls us to be in the world but not of the world. One way we reflect our distinctiveness in Christ is through a spirit of gratitude that manifests itself in graciousness and gratefulness in thought, word, and deed.

    Gratitude is a biblical virtue that does not come naturally. It is a reflection of God’s work in our hearts and the fruit of intentionally practicing gratefulness. As one writer put it:

    While basic gratitude is passively evoked by external events, of the exclusively positive variety, the spiritual discipline of gratitude is intentionally chosen, deliberately trained, and exercised in all circumstances. It is not dependent on changing conditions, but on mindset. It is not waited for, but pursued. While basic gratitude is a set of fleeting and fluctuating feelings, the spiritual discipline of gratitude is an action. It is not just experienced, but expressed … The discipline of gratitude is, in fact, not a feeling at all, but a moral virtue. — Brett and Kate McKay

    To foster a spirit of gratitude throughout our school community, we will focus on the following verses:

    Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving (Colossians 2:6–7).

    And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful … And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him (Colossians 3:15, 17).

    The one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies me; to one who orders his way rightly I will show the salvation of God (Psalm 50:23).

    As we enter a new school year, which will have its blessings and challenges, may God grant us the grace to cultivate and practice a spirit of gratefulness to God and to one another.

    Our H.O.U.S.E.

    We are excited to introduce a meaningful acronym that synthesizes our existing school culture: H.O.U.S.E. As you return to campus this fall, you will see this new way to summarize who we are, what we stand for, and how we behave as members of a community that reaches far beyond our walls. We cannot wait to welcome you to Our H.O.U.S.E.

    • Honor Christ: Christ is the foundation of our H.O.U.S.E. We honor Him by using the gifts He has given us and following His example of servant leadership.
    • Own the Outcome: What you do affects those around you. We are in this together.
    • Unite in Gratitude: We focus on the blessings God has given us every day.
    • Set the Example: You are powerful and your actions matter. Honor the Lord by loving yourself, this building, this campus, and this community.
    • Empower Each Other: Respect and honor those around you. Lift yourself and your peers through your manners and your actions.

  • Ask the commencement speaker to incorporate the theme into his or her remarks.

    • Plan Your Theme over the Summer

    Summer is the time to plan the school theme and begin preparing staff devotionals, a chapel presentation, and the welcome letter to the school community. As you plan for the coming year, take time to prayerfully consider a biblical theme. Keep a record of each year’s theme and corresponding verses. Doing so will nurture your soul as you prepare for the new school year and will help your school community focus on God’s Word with the promise that:

    For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there, but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it (Isaiah 55:10–11).

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