Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. — Hebrews 10:19-22
Greetings from Cambridge!
Our dozen Bible courses have been slogging their way through the book of Hebrews this fall. This is not to suggest that our studies have been boring or tedious (God forbid!). What students have discovered is that Hebrews, with the exception of the Book of Revelation, is the most challenging letter in the New Testament for modern readers. For many weeks now we have been digesting rich and lofty theology, digging into the countless Old Testament citations, and carefully following the preacher’s logic. For the remainder of the semester, we will lean heavily into application.
Blessings Prevail
Christian Union has resourced the work at Harvard for over fourteen years now. Our first class of leaders graduated in 2012(!). One of the men who was an absolute pillar in the launch of HCFA just moved back to Boston to plant a church. Damaris Taylor, his wife Cherish (2013), and their daughter Selah happily returned to the campus where they first met. It was pure joy to welcome them back into the weekly lecture series (DOXA) they helped launch so long ago.
Damaris' topic was very Hebrews-like and totally on point: Divinity’s Enfleshed Reality: The Beauty of the Incarnation. They arrived early and stayed late. All were blessed.
Last month, I briefly mentioned a significant challenge to our early semester welcoming efforts. One person’s negative reaction to HCFA’s house publicity led to a series of Harvard Crimson articles which conjuring up charges of discrimination in 2018 from members of the LGBTQ community at the college. This ultimately inspired twenty-five “dissenting” students to attend DOXA in mid-September. At the contended meeting in September, CU ministry fellow Tyler Parker sensitively and skillfully spoke of God’s design for human sexuality, sharing liberally from his personal journey and dogged pursuit of faithful discipleship. While this kind of attention is not ideal it is certainly not surprising. With amazing grace, empathy and honesty our leaders have navigated the land mines and are weathering the social storm.
We trust that God has and will use all of this for our growth and for his glory. Please pray as you are led for all of the above.
We are so grateful for your partnership in the gospel at Harvard. Thank you!
Don Weiss
Ministry Director
Christian Union Gloria
PS – Would you sign up for a 15-minute daily time to pray for our nation and our churches, so that there would be ceaseless prayer through the CU 24-Hour Prayer Chain? One hundred seventy-five slots have already been filled, and CU’s goal is to have 300 intercessors. Would you be one of the one hundred twenty-five more to stand in the gap?
Please note: if you would like to receive regular updates on how to pray for Christian Union's work at Harvard, please email prayer@christianunion.org.
