Follow us online for news, events, prayer and spiritual resources, plus much more:
The end of the semester and the academic year brings with it a mixture of emotions. Deep gratitude for the lessons learned, the friendships formed, the laughter shared, the work accomplished and the personal growth experienced. Sadness in leaving familiar faces and places. Excitement about the possibilities of new relationships, places and experiences. Fear about the unknowns of the future. It’s a time of celebration and joy but also a time of tearful good-byes and letting go.
In the Gospel of John this weekend, we hear part of Jesus’ farewell to his disciples. He says, “My children, I will be with you only a little while longer. I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another.”
We send our SAU graduates and our current students forth with those same words. Our prayer for you is that you will take the love of God you’ve experienced here and spread it throughout the world.
Have a question about a program or event going on in Campus Ministry? Got an idea for something you'd like to see happen? EMAIL US at ministry@sau.edu.
Follow us online for news, events, prayer and spiritual resources, plus much more:
The surprisingly cool weather of spring is coming to an end. Next week we’re looking at 80- degree weather after weeks of rain and wind and chill. We kind of just skipped over the best kind of weather, when it’s not too hot and it’s not too cold. Folks who seem to thrive in the heat, like we’re about to experience, are straight-up superheroes to me.
The best part of these days, for me anyway, are early in the morning, just before the sun comes up, and late in the evenings, as the birds fly back to their newly-renovated seasonal homes. I spend those times out on my patio, listening to Sufjan Stevens and playing Lego Star Wars on the Switch and offering prayers for the world around us, my siblings and parents, all of you. It's quiet, peaceful. As the cool weather we’re accustomed to breaks, the heat of the sun brings new life back into action.
A couple weeks ago, I started to notice the daffodils outside my house begin to bud. And then we got those fierce winds and all that rain and I thought they were done for. But they’ve proven far more resilient than I gave them credit for. And now those small buds have blossomed, bringing with them new whites and yellows.
Life finds a way. What has appeared all but dead to me, lost to cold, has been brought to life. How reminiscent of the Easter season. Life has risen from the dark and cold clutches of death. And with it, our world is, once again, full of color and creative beauty and chirping sparrows. And while the world remains in the clutches of fear and violence, it is life and love and beauty that still finds a way.
It is no mistake that the Easter season takes place near the full bloom. God’s creative love stands as a reminder that the richness of life and of beauty will always return, even when the dark and the cold have gripped us for so long, even when fear and loneliness might grip us today. God has turned a renewed light on for us, shining brightly, illuminating paths, and bringing about life and love and consoling warmth.
I know it’s a busy time of year, and there are a million things you need to do before the semester ends. But this time of year is a gift, a reminder to open our eyes to the fruits of God’s creative love.
Know of my continued prayers for you as you prepare for your final exams and your goodbyes and your coming summer adventures.
Have a question about a program or event going on in Campus Ministry? Got an idea for something you'd like to see happen? EMAIL US at ministry@sau.edu.
