This past Thursday night, my sorority had the opportunity to spend an hour discussing being a Christ-filled community with our new Hope College chaplain, Lauren Taylor.
Lauren comes from Wheaton, Illinois, where she attended college and then took to Princeton, New Jersey, for seminary school. She has a lot of stories to tell and words of wisdom to share; if you’re ever around campus and have time, I recommend speaking with her. I’m not going to disclose any of those stories here, but I strongly encourage you to have a conversation with her.
Lauren spoke with us about the resurrection of Jesus in the book of Luke. She explained how when Christ rose from the dead, so did we; We are revived and renewed because of Jesus’ experience. Therefore, God commissions us through Him to be the light of the world. More importantly, we’re commissioned to spread this light and His word beyond the walls of the church and into our other communities, and those beyond.
She challenged us, wherever we go in life, whether it be a new town or a new country, to find a Christ-filled community where we live inside and outside of the walls of the church. Faith should be a priority.
A lot of this conversation we had was in context of our sorority and how we can better take our Christ-loving community and spread it around campus. However, it’s so much more than that. There will be life after Hope College and these communities will continue to exist. We need to take our light and spread it to every corner of our lives, to every place and person that we touch. Our faith does not stop when we exit the church doors; it needs to be omnipresent.
As we say at the Gathering:
“No one lights a lamp and then hides it or puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where its light can be seen by all who enter the house.”
—Luke: 11:33
— Brooke