Whenever I talk to former students about their time at College, there are three things that are most commonly mentioned:
- Those of you who studied at Capel often talk about Work Periods – not negatively but as a positive opportunity to serve. Some even include Wash-ups for the same reason.
- All of you will talk about the sense of community and the friendships that were made.
- And, of course, many will want to tell me how they encountered God and discovered the power of the Holy Spirit.
I was reflecting on this over the recent Easter season and it occurred to me that these three elements of Christian experience come together on so-called Maundy Thursday as recounted in John 13-17. We see there the remarkable example of servanthood shown by Jesus in washing his disciples’ feet. We also hear Jesus telling his disciples that the greatest commandment he has for them is to love each other. Then thirdly Jesus takes this opportunity to tell his followers about the Holy Spirit whom they would receive.
I know Easter has passed but let us all ensure that each of those three elements play a part in our lives. As students it was easy to focus too much on one at the expense of the others. So as you reflect on your days as a student, maybe God wants to nudge you to give a little more attention to serving others, or a little more time to developing or renewing friendships – or discovering afresh what the Spirit wants to do in your life.
GTR
