"And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, ‘Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.’" (Luke 2:8-10 ESV)
Luke's gospel tells us of some ordinary people, shepherds, that were interrupted in their ordinariness with the great news of Jesus Christ. It is this same event that we pray to occur upon UPenn’s campus; for the Holy Spirit to interrupt lives with the music of the gospel and bring many into undeniable reverence of the gift of Christ our Savior.
The challenge of being in a highly secular environment is that everyone wants to be seen, to stand out as unique in some way. Ultimately, this leads many to ask the world to define who they are, and, as they do, they end up being more like it and everyone else. They desire the extraordinary, but just end up with more of the normal. Christ calls His followers, however, to not look to the world to be seen or learn how to stand out from it, but instead look to the heavens. Just as His own disciples were considered common, like Simon and Andrew who were fishermen, Jesus steps into the lives of those that we see as normal, typical, or uninteresting, and invites them to live as children of the Most High God. By His steadfast love, the Lord sends His messengers to interrupt our lives and change our perspective from the ordinary waywardness of the world towards something extraordinary.
In this holy season, we pray for the students across UPenn’s campus who have not yet heard the "good news of great joy." We also pray for the students of CU Martus as they unwind after a busy semester. Pray that they would find great joy in the people Jesus has called them to be as His followers. Pray that while they are away from campus their ears may be inclined to hear the heavenly hosts and join in with the angels in worship of the celebration of Christ's birth. In a time that may seem ordinary for many, we pray the Lord interrupts and reminds our students of the extraordinary gift of sending His Son to the World to bring them salvation and the gift of His grace.
We ask that you continually pray with us that:
- Like the Shepherds, UPenn students would have the “Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of [Christ]” (Eph 1:17).
- That the gospel would be heard and admired, as 1 Thessalonians 3:1 states, “that the word of the Lord may speed ahead and be honored.”
- Lastly, that our students within CU Martus would become transformational leaders who boldly proclaim the gospel within their spheres of influence (Acts 4:29-31).
Grace and Peace,
Caitlin Vera
Ministry Fellow
Christian Union Martus
