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Greetings from the campus of Harvard Law School!
As the Fall 2016 semester winds down, students are engaged in completion of their final exams. Based upon a high, middle, or low pass model, exams weigh heavily in the final grade students receive for their academic efforts. Students who hope to become professors feel even greater pressure to secure a high level of performance evaluation critical to future employment opportunities.
As we draw near to the end of 2016, we pause to give thanks and praise to God for his goodness and grace to us during these past months – particularly in our gospel ministry here on the campus of Princeton University. Allow me to share a few highlights from the fall months, as well as a few ways that you can be praying for our ministry in the month ahead.
The biweekly eNewsletter from Christian Union
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
— 2 Timothy 3:16-17
Throughout the books of the Bible, many promises are made. Some are specific to individuals or to one nation, yet many hint at redemption, salvation and blessing for all who trust in God. Once you start examining these promises, it is fascinating to realize which of these promises began as kernels in early Scripture, grew in significance as scriptural themes, and were fully realized in Christ and the Church. Many of God’s promises intertwine across books of the Bible in remarkable ways. This weaves key themes together through the Old and New Testament, and links the promises of the Bible to the present day and into to the future, as the Church carries forward with Christ’s Satan-defeating, redemptive work.
In a recent interview, D.A. Carson delves into the intricacies of the promises made by God:
As humans we want an explanation for the grief we experience in our lives. Of course, we understand the source of the grief itself, which usually manifests itself in the form of a personal tragedy. While we may understand the source of the feeling itself, we can't conceptualize the strange contradictions or the overwhelming sense of desolation which sprout from it. Erik Schmidt succinctly conveys this idea in his article ‘If You Are Grieving Read This’:The biweekly eNewsletter from Christian Union
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. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord."
— Luke 2:10-11
Friends,
It’s hard to believe, but we’re already at the end of the semester here at Brown! These past few months have flown by as God has continued to work in the lives of so many students. Through our study of Mark’s Gospel, students have given serious thought to what it means to truly follow after Christ. Our weekly large-group gathering, The Anchor, has fostered space for healthy, Christ-centered dialogue on the topics of sexuality, politics, race and mental health – complex issues with which students at Brown are constantly wrestling and seeking to navigate as faithfully obedient and thoughtful Christians.
To our friends and partners in the Gospel,
This month here at Christian Union at Penn we have seen great growth and leadership amongst our students. It has been a sprint coming off Thanksgiving Break. These compact weeks have challenged students to find balance between finding excellence in their academics, while also working to keep a positive and effective testimony for Christ. They strive to see and live out God’s will while being saturated with worldly expectations. God has shown to be faithful through miraculous moments of encouragement and exhortation; we are very thankful!
There are sharply diverging reactions to the recent election. Some people are enthusiastic, seeing it as the beginning of a new era. On the other end of the spectrum, some people are despondent, seeing it as the beginning of the end. Either way, we need to step back and realize that there are pitfalls to being ruled by the emotions at either extreme.According to Rev. Charles Drew in his article ‘The Morning After’:
A recent article on Albert Mohler presented a question which was originally posed by Russian novelist Dostoevsky: ‘Will beauty save the world?’ Such a thought-provoking query cannot be answered without first defining the idea of beauty. This question can be answered in a variety of ways, and we might be tempted to imagine the sort of beauty that stares out from magazine covers. However, the article directs us to consider beauty in biblical terms, initially turning to Isaiah Chapter 53:
