November 2015
Dear Friends and Family of HCFA,
Greetings from Cambridge! We are in the final stretch before Thanksgiving and there is a widespread fatigue among students and staff. It has been an incredibly fruitful and exciting semester, but I think we are all ready for a much-needed break. Although the weeks of p-sets, exams and papers are taxing for the students, and teaching Bible Courses, planning DOXA’s and retreats are tiring for staff, the heaviness of our broken world has felt more tangible than ever. In the wake of the Paris attacks, the ongoing plight of Syrian refugees, infuriating racism on college campuses, and even a bomb threat at Harvard last week, our world seems more fragmented and sorrowful than ever. The question of “where is God in all of this?” has been a topic of mournful discussion in most of my Bible Courses, and it feels difficult to find hope in the midst of so much devastation and pain. In Colossians this week we are discussing how Paul encourages his audience to acknowledge that reality is not how it was meant to be, that we live in dark times and that we dwell in a barren land. And in the midst of that place to submit to Jesus as our Lord and Savior, to love our neighbors as ourselves, to proclaim the gospel boldly, to hold fast to the truth. Paul challenges us not to look away from the ugliness of our world, but to see it in its fullness and yet again choose hope. The power of the gospel is never more obvious than when everything falls apart, when everything seems lost, when the world seems to be spiraling out of control. The gospel tells us again and again that Jesus, our good king, has conquered the darkness and defeated death. Please join us in praying for our broken world--- there are a million things to pray for, and we need to look past our needs. Please pray that our students would hunger for hope in the midst of brokenness. Please pray that the gospel might break into our world in more and more powerful ways. Please pray for boldness for Christians to proclaim the hope of the gospel and to live out the love of Christ.
As always, thank you for your love and support.
In him,
Anne Kerhoulas
Christian Union Ministry Fellow
Harvard University
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