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Good morning. People here in Leeds are still reeling from the news of the stabbing to death of Ann Maguire, a teacher at a much respected Roman Catholic school in the city. Church schools are popular because, like any good school, parents know that their children are receiving their education in an atmosphere of mutual consideration and support, where students and teachers alike look out for one another. That has been the pattern of Ann Maguire’s service to generations of pupils for 40 years. We tend to take teachers for granted but communicating a love of learning to youngsters going through the turmoil of teenage years is no easy task. Being both a teacher and an adult role model requires imagination, patience and stamina. Teachers get used to the myriad of small sacrifices they make daily, the hours spent in preparation and marking, the energy invested in creating and maintaining in the classroom an atmosphere of purposeful calm. We expect teachers to make such sacrifices on behalf of our children and grandchildren, what we don’t expect is for them to be called to make the ultimate sacrifice of giving their life in the midst of a normal working day. Such tragedies are rare, but when they occur they remind us of the potential risks that teachers face daily as they go about their civilizing task. People vary in their assessment of Jesus of Nazareth, but most would agree that he was a gifted teacher whose words and stories moved hearts and changed lives. For three years he went about his teaching mission, pointing to the possibility of a world put right, where none are neglected or left out. He made sacrifices daily for that vision and taught his followers to do the same. This is pretty indisputable as is the fact that that earthly mission ended with his violent death on the cross. It’s in the interpretation of that death that people disagree. To some it was the sad but predictable end to a prophetic would be reformer who disturbed both church and state. But it was the experience of the first Christian believers that this sacrificial death was not the end but the beginning, they began to realize that the power of sacrificial love is unquenchable. We are seeing that power at work in the reaction to the death of Ann Maguire, messages of support and appreciation are flooding in from all over world as her former pupils speak of how they benefitted from her care and concern. I hope that such messages give her family some comfort and encourage other teachers as they go into the classroom today, for a good teacher changes lives and we’re grateful for what they do. Perhaps we should say so more often.