June Prayers | On Rest
“Truly my soul finds rest in God; my salvation comes from him. Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.”
Dear Friends,
As we enter into the slower summer months, we pray that you will find deep moments of rest and restoration. That you can come home to yourself, to God, and to those around you. That you can soak up the beauty of our fertile world in which you take your steps. That you can uncover a fresh understanding of both your belovedness and a love for the world around you.
-Christy Yates, Associate Director
As if There Were Only One
In the morning God pulled me onto the porch,
a rain-washed gray and brilliant shore.
I sat in my orange pajamas and waited.
God said, “look at the tree.” And I did.
Its leaves were newly yellow and green,
slick and bright, and so alive it hurt
to take the colors in. My pupils grew
hungry and wide against my will.
God said, “listen to the tree.”
And i did. it said, “live!”
And it opened itself wider, not with desire,
but the way i imagine a surgeon spreads
the ribs of a patient in distress and rubs
her paralyzed heart, only this tree parted
its own limbs toward the sky – i was the light in that sky.
I reached in to the thick, sweet core
and i lifted it to my mouth and held it there
for a long time until i tasted the word
tree (because i had forgotten its name).
Then I said my own name twice softly.
Augustine said, God loves each one of us as if
there were only one of us, but i hadn’t believed him.
And God put me down on the steps with my coffee
and my cigarettes. And, although I still
could not eat nor sleep, that evening
and that morning were my first day back.
- Martha Spears
Why I give to TH | Caroline Ehler ‘21
We recently sat down with TH alumna, Caroline Ehler ‘21, to learn more about why she chooses to support the ministry of Theological Horizons.
About Caroline:
Caroline graduated UVA in 2021, Engineering School (SEAS), Computer Science. She was also a TH Intern '20, SEEK President '20, and XA Treasurer '21. She’s currently living in Orange County, California where she works at IBM as a sales engineer by day, and owns a jewelry brand, Orange County Pearls, by night. Caroline is also passionate about technology, mentoring, entrepreneurship, investing strategies, and real estate.
“Why give now?” This is what Caroline had to say…
Theological Horizons (TH) is celebrating 25 years of faithful presence and transformative ministry. For a quarter century, this community has been sowing, tending, and nurturing deep roots TH's impact goes far beyond Charlottesville. Now TH is expanding its legacy.
Year over year, more and more students experience the respite of Vintage lunch. Students in the Perkins Fellows program serve the Charlottesville community. Lives are impacted by the wisdom TH speakers deliver to the young minds on Grounds and our community members. Saints of the City delivers the teachings of Saints and Sinners to five cities nationwide. TH invests in other ministries worldwide, teaching them how to grow just as the Marshes grew TH.
To sustain and scale this work, Theological Horizons needs your support. Your gift helps provision the next horizon of ministry, making sure that this model of grace, curiosity, and belonging continues to bless future generations.
If you're a student who has ever enjoyed time with Karen Marsh, Christy Yates or other TH leaders, or been to all those free Vintage lunches, I ask if you could pay it forward, and donate, to bless another student who might be in your same shoes right now at UVA.
TH changed how I experience my faith—both during college and now as a graduate.
TH is one of the only truly inter-ministry spaces I found at UVA, where I could connect with students across ministries, across Grounds. And it was one of the few places that didn’t ask me to do, perform, or produce. Under Karen’s calming leadership, TH invited me to simply be. To breathe. To receive.
Each Friday at Vintage Lunch, I got to step away from the academic grind—deadlines, assignments, expectations—and receive a word, a story about a saint, wisdom, and warm community. The home-cooked or catered meals were such a delicacy. Knowing that a group of people had lovingly prepared them just for us made me feel like I had a place to come home to.
And that simple welcome? It grounded me.
I came to UVA from a modern, non-traditional megachurch background. I had always “poo-pooed” traditional churches, never understanding their appeal. Until TH. Here, I discovered the beauty of liturgy and the comfort of tradition. I learned how deeply tangible our faith can be—through dancing, sacraments, food, and our physical bodies. These practices were completely new to me, and they now shape my post-grad spiritual life in the most meaningful way.
TH also taught me to see art and literature as sacred. Karen’s reverence for the beauty created by saints and creatives helped me realize that God delights in art, too. I had never imagined that my creativity could be a form of worship. What a joy to realize that faith can be expressed through more than just sermons and theology—it can live in movement, poetry, painting, and presence.
TH is a space where everyone is welcome—seekers, creatives, overworked students, the Charlottesville community, and Christians from every denomination. No matter where you are on your faith journey, you are honored and invited in.
TH is also one of the most thought-provoking ministries I’ve ever experienced. TH was the only place on Grounds where I learned how faith and social justice are deeply intertwined. As an engineering student with a heavy workload, I never would have had access to this kind of learning otherwise. TH gave me the space to explore justice, history, and theology—offering honest, gracious conversations about race, equity, and the role of the Church. I learned from community voices, from Civil Rights heroes of the faith, and from my own peers. TH gave me language and grounding to live out values I already held but didn’t yet know how to express.
What a gift. Theological Horizons is more than a ministry. It’s a table where all are welcome, a space where beauty and justice meet, and a gentle invitation to receive, rest, and be deeply loved.
I’d like to share an excerpt I wrote in my journal for Karen:
Before TH, my framework for faith was built on rules and performance. By the time I arrived at UVA, like many of my peers, I was exhausted from chasing perfection.
One ministry I was involved in introduced me to other intellectual Christians—people who had read more theology books than I had. And still, I felt like I couldn’t escape the rules. It wasn’t respite. It was just more performing.
And then, I met you and the TH community. It was the end of my first year, second semester. I’ll never forget how mad I was that I hadn’t gone to Vintage Lunch earlier. I could have had this every Friday?!
Vintage was like stepping into a warm hug from Jesus. It was as if He said, “You’ve worked so hard this week, and I know you will again next week. But you are so much more to Me than what you produce. Be still. Rest. Know that I am God.”
I had never known that before. That I could receive from God without doing anything to earn it. That I was already enough. I didn’t have to strive or perform to belong.
Vintage was the first ministry I encountered that mirrored the heart of God in this way. No expectations. No obligations. Just love, welcome, and nourishment—literally and spiritually. Where other ministries asked me to give back, Vintage just asked me to receive.
And you, Karen—you embodied that. You were (and are) the most paradoxical and inspiring woman I’ve ever met: brilliant, successful, polished, published, beautiful, with a stunning home and magnetic presence. And yet, you carry the gentleness and lowliness of Jesus so effortlessly. I didn't know that was possible. That someone could “have it all” and still be so free from ego, striving, or judgment.
My time at TH was healing. And it changed me.
From you, I learned things I use to this day—in my tech sales job, my real estate business, my marketing agency, and now, in building my own jewelry brand. I learned about email campaigns, brand consistency, team leadership, and presence. But more importantly, I learned how to let myself be loved. Without earning it.
Theological Horizons gave me the courage to ask deeper questions of God. It made me fall in love with beauty, art, creativity, and stillness. When Vintage moved to the Bonhoeffer House, your home became a sanctuary that let me see that God loves beautiful things. That He is creative and joyful and gentle and playful. That my creativity is not frivolous, but worship.
TH also taught me the richness of other denominations. I had been taught to distrust them, to believe that anything outside of my church tradition was wrong. But your ministry changed me. It gave me new eyes—and that led me to SEEK, where I eventually became president and made it my mission to bridge divides and celebrate the Church in all its diversity.
I carry everything I learned with me. I’ve done so much healing since—healing that began at Vintage Lunch. I’m learning how to be playful and present. I’m learning how to create with joy. I’ve even started acting classes, stepping into parts of myself I had buried under performance and perfection. I am grateful indeed.
God’s Love Revealed Amidst Difference | Ava Flory ‘25
“Well, I just don’t believe that.” The blunt phrase hung in the air as the ten of us fellows realized just how different our views of God were.
Preempted by readings like Desmund Tutu’s “God is Not a Christian,” it was no surprise that this Horizon Fellows’ gathering gave rise to conflicting ideas. The meeting itself was called “Loving Our Neighbors Amidst Deep Difference.” But rather than feeling concerned by our newfound division, I was fascinated. More interesting than who did or did not believe in Hell was that our diverging beliefs were just now coming up. The ten of us fellows had been in an intentional community for eight months. We had heard each other vulnerably share life stories and asked empathetic questions to show they were seen and cared for. We had spent late nights gathered around a living room discussing callings and commitments. We exchanged energetic waves and big smiles when passing each other on our way to class. Somehow it had not mattered what words we used when describing the details of God. It was enough that we were all pursuing a relationship with a loving God and eager to pour out the love we found to those around us.
I used to care very much about people using the same words I do to describe God. When I first started dating my boyfriend several years ago, I remember countless conversations with me asking him to define words like “sinner” and “redemption,” just to make sure we were on the same page. In the process, I also asked a lot of people around me their definition of religious jargon, and I realized several things about the language we use. One, each person’s word associations were tinted by their own individual experiences. To fully understand what people were saying, I needed to try to understand where they were coming from. This injects empathy and “seeking to understand” into my work as a listener. It also frees me a lot. I do not have to agree with each person’s word choice at face value. Even better, I don’t have to convince them to learn my personal dictionary. I don’t have to do the exhausting, if not impossible, work of getting everyone to speak like me. Secondly, I think all words fall short of describing the indescribable. Our words just hint at our infinite God. And because I am not familiar with infinity, I am not surprised when some expressions of God feel unfamiliar.
These two realizations introduced a powerful emotion when encountering people with religious differences: curiosity. With this addition, I surrender the temptation to pronounce my judgement over other’s ideas and instead create space for God to reveal God’s self and great Love for me in a myriad of ways. Imagine a kid so busy flapping his gums talking about what his birthday cake looks like (the icing colors, the swirls, etc) that he never pauses to let his father spoon the cake into his mouth. Rather than being preoccupied with labeling people’s expressions of God, I hope I can take enough time to stop flapping my gums and instead taste the sweetness of a God who pours out his infinite Love in creative and original ways.
Moreover, I believe God is desperate to show love to us. My personal belief is of a God who took on flesh and died a painful death on a cross because God so desired an intimate relationship with us and to show God’s great love for us. If God was willing to do that, I think God just may be willing to work through a variety of different words, denominations, and religious expressions to show God’s self and God’s Love. I need only to open my eyes and listen with curiosity. What I find incredible is when I start to look for God’s Love all around me, I see it.
This has deep implications for forming a community amidst religious differences. When I start to see God’s Love through the diverse expressions of others, I tend to like them and their diverse expressions a lot more. When I don’t feel a responsibility to make us all talk the same, I can create freedom-filled spaces for others. And perhaps most importantly, when I look for it, I see how God is breathing through all of us.
It becomes a lot easier to be in community with people who are different from me when I start to see God and God’s Love revealed through them. So bring your original words, denominations, and differences. I am eager to see more of God and God’s Love. And who knows, we might just end up being in a tight knit community of ten college students for 8 months; a community with differences, but with differences that can’t negate that we have been sharing God’s Love with one another the whole time.
Bonhoeffer Blueberry Pie
A summer favorite from the Bonhoeffer House kitchen as the blueberries come in! Can substitute strawberries or other berries.
Pie:
1 cup sour cream or yogurt (can use non-dairy if need)
¼ tsp. salt
2 Tbs. all-purpose flour (can use GF flour if need)
1 large egg, beaten
¾ cup sugar
2 ½ cups fresh blueberries, washed, drained
1 tsp. vanilla extract
pastry for 9” pie shell, unbaked
Topping:
3 Tbs. all-purpose flour (use GF flour if need)
3 Tbs. chopped pecans or walnuts
3 Tbs. unsalted butter
Preheat oven to 400°. For the pie, blend sour cream, flour, sugar, vanilla, salt, and egg until smooth. Fold in blueberries. Pour filling into pastry shell and bake 25 minutes. Make the topping by thoroughly combining flour, butter, and nuts. Sprinkle topping over pie and bake 10 additional minutes. Chill before serving.
On what binds us | Ben Benson ‘25
Socrates said the only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing. When I read this quote, I honestly always think that it sounds a little bit dumb. But of course, it probably does hold some profound truths considering its so widely regarded, and voiced by maybe the greatest thinker of all time.
The other day I was walking to class and in front me at the corner of the brick wall that surrounds my house, and my attention was grabbed by a squirrel sprinting at seemingly full speed down the runway made by the top of the wall. It seemed as though it was running straight at me before it quickly veered on the rounded corner of the wall and lept some 5 feet in the air just a few feet in front of my face. It lept and met a lamp post that I had hardly noticed prior to this event, and before I could even register how it was able to catch itself on a shear vertical surface it had scurried to the top of the lamp post, leaping again some 30 feet in the air to another tree and out of sight.
It is in moments like these where I think I can empathize with Socrates. Where you have to take a step back and grapple with how incomprehensibly different your experience is from those things that are all around us in each moment. I can not possibly know what it is like to be a squirrel confidently leaping onto a branch not more than 3 inches wide 30 feet in the air at top speed, or what it’s like to be the tree into which the squirrel lept, or even what it’s like to be Walker, the friend I am sitting next to as I write this.
Even when I am with the person or people I am closest with in the whole world, I know that I can never truly, fully know their mind, their experience, their life. And yet I do know that there is something there. There is something between us, a sort of connection that even when you try your hardest to break it down to its smallest component parts there is always something in the explanation that fails to truly encompass that which “is”.
But despite all this, sometimes I do feel known. When I’m laughing with my friends, when I’m looking into the eyes of someone that I love, and even when my confidence is necessarily inspired by the bravery of a squirrel.
Countless artists, philosophers, and scientists have tried to tie a bow on what exactly it is that ties it all together. What it is that creates who we are, moves us in the right direction, and brings us together not just in our minds but also in our hearts. I’ve once heard it described and described it myself as the universe, as energy, as chi. But to me, now, that is God.
God in All Things | Zac Toimil ‘26
God knows what He’s doing, and you don’t. That is an uncomfortable yet necessary truth to digest, and it’s one that I still struggle with. I often feel as though I need to have a detailed, concrete plan for all things I do. I try to plan my days down to the second.
My main motivation in life prior to coming to UVA was to attain success. I thought that being successful meant being busy and always having something else to do. I was constantly trying to “make moves” so I could reach some sort of status in this world. However, since coming to UVA and growing in my faith, my definition of success has changed. To me now, being successful means being faithful and trusting in God in all I do.
Being a Perkins Fellow this year challenged me to view the issues of the world and serving others through a theological lens. As a newer Christian, I’ve been slowly learning how to mix faith with all aspects of my life instead of them naturally separating, like oil and water. I do religious things, school things, and work things—but the one thing I never did was mix the faith into the school things and the work things, despite God’s calling for us to prioritize Him in all we do.
Through volunteering at the Habitat for Humanity ReStore in Charlottesville this past year and discussing explicitly how my time there has shaped my faith through conversations at our Perkins Fellows meetings, I have been able to watch as God worked in and through me for building His kingdom here on earth as it is in heaven.
God works through the mundane. In all things, God is at work. In every item I measured, every tag I placed, every rug I hung up on display, God was using the hands and feet He gave me, along with the time He blessed me with on this earth, to play a part in orchestrating His great plan. In all things, there is God.
This past year in Perkins Fellows has taught me that we do not need to know what God’s plan is for us in order to faithfully execute it. He will use us as He wishes, and it is just our job to obey. Even if it seems insignificant, God works all things—not just big things, but ALL things, big and seemingly insignificant—for His glory.
Congratulations Horizon Fellows ‘25!
It was a joy to sit in the Bonhoeffer House garden on the cusp of their final finals and bless these 4th Year Fellows. I began with a brief recounting of all we had wrestled with throughout the year and reminded them of their Belovedness in Christ. Then I layed hands on each one and read a blessing from their mentors. Fellows each shared final reflections around their understanding of faith & calling at this point in their lives. What a joy!
Enjoy the summary below. - Christy Yates, Associate Director
FALL SEMESTER: Who/se am I and from what story am I called?
Psalm 139:23 (NIV) - Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
We started with sharing our faith journeys, one of the most powerful and vulnerable acts of knowing another and being known.
Calling & Constraint - we then considered whether “constraints” and “limits” could be forces that shape our vocation and we asked whether we should let go of the ideal of finding that perfect place where our passions meet the world’s needs and meet a paycheck.
“If we are freed from the burden of finding the specific vocation to express and fulfill ourselves, then the process of discerning one’s work and career becomes much less anxiety-ridden and self-absorbed. When we see how God intends work to be creative rather than alienation, then we can imagine labor that works toward the support and liberation of others.” - Russell Jeung, At Home in Exile
Calling & Commitment - next we hung out at Buck’s Bend with our resident philosopher Chris Yates and asked what we pay attention to and how might that shape our vocation? Simone Weil writes “Attention is the rarest and purest form of generosity”? What if we paid attention to what we pay attention to? We noted that technology is a powerful force that shapes our attention.
Calling out & Calling In - finally we turned to look at how America’s racial history has affected our own story within that. Jim Wallis (Sojourners) has said that racism is America’s original sin and MLK has said 11am is the most segregated hour in America still. We wondered together, what does it look like to be called out while also called in, both personally and as a church/campus ministry?
SPRING SEMESTER | To whom and to what am I called?
Matthew 22:36-40 (NIV) Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.
Loving our Neighbors through Place - Here we learned about the life & legacy of John and Vera Mae Perkins as well as the Christian Community Development Association - the movement to bring wholeness to communities through spiritual, social and economic development which focuses not just on felt needs but the assets and strengths of communities previously seen just as problems. We asked one another, who has been a good neighbor in our lives and how can we each love our neighbors wherever we find ourselves next year?
Loving our Neighbors Amidst Deep Difference - One of my favorite though challenging discussions, we looked at what it means to love one another across the theological & political differences dividing the church today. Jesus’s final prayer in John 17 was that the ‘believers’ would all be one. How do we maintain our own beliefs while being in relationship with those who believe differently, especially around issues like universalism and gay marriage? What might it look like moving forward for us to foster friendships across not only ethnic differences but political and theological?
Loving our Neighbors with Beauty, Joy and Hope - Where is the place for art, beauty, joy & hope? Given the complexity of pain and joy in the world and in my own life, how do I move forward in hope and joy knowing I am beloved?
My greatest prayer for you as you leave is that you have tasted a bit of God’s shalom (right relationships between God, others, land, yourself) and that you can move forward with a sense of security in your belovedness as you love God, others and this created world. That you can see Christ as holding all the broken and beautiful things together and that you’d experience the Joy that comes out of that knowledge.
Mary Oliver: “Don’t Hesitate”
Don't Hesitate by Mary Oliver
If you suddenly and unexpectedly feel joy, don’t hesitate. Give in to it. There are plenty of lives and whole towns destroyed or about to be. We are not wise, and not very often kind. And much can never be redeemed. Still, life has some possibility left. Perhaps this is its way of fighting back, that sometimes something happens better than all the riches or power in the world. It could be anything, but very likely you notice it in the instant when love begins. Anyway, that’s often the case. Anyway, whatever it is, don’t be afraid of its plenty. Joy is not made to be a crumb.
Colossians 1:9-14, 17
We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives,[c] 10 so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, 11 being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, 12 and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you[d] to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. 13 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins;....Christ, who is before all things and in him all things hold together.
A Conflict of Interests: I Majored in Commerce and Minored in Studio Art | Annelise Eden Wolfe ‘25
Where do passion and career intersect? Should passion and career intersect? These are two questions I have been exploring as I grapple with my inclination towards the arts and my pursuit of a career in marketing. I’ve come to acknowledge two truths: First, there is nothing wrong with developing a God-given gift, while also practicing wisdom by working a full-time job. Second, there is nothing wrong with taking a risk within your means to be obedient to a call the Lord has placed on your life, even if it doesn’t seem like the most financially attractive decision.
My greatest passions in life have always revolved around various forms of art: painting, graphic design, songwriting, and writing poems and short stories. At present, I sell digital designs and physical stickers, with plans to expand my portfolio. I also write and perform songs, and I released my debut single, “October,” last Fall, with ambitions to release more music in the coming years. When I reflect on the Lord’s hand in cultivating my passions, my heart overflows with gratitude. I am so grateful for the ability to release different forms of my art into the world. I am certain that I was made to create, even if just for the process rather than any monetary success.
As for a future career, I plan to work in digital marketing as a project manager, where I will contribute to the development of brand identities, digital experiences, and other creative strategies. Working a 9-to-5 isn’t my passion per se, but it is purposeful, and the Lord will be with me in it. Where God opens a door, I will follow–praying continually and inviting Him into every day and every transition.
The Lord has been teaching me to trust Him and rest in the security of knowing He has His best in store for me, because I serve God who loves me. I believe that He has placed passions in my heart to be used, and I believe that He has something more abundant for me than the world’s definition of success. I am assured of this when I read Romans 8:28, which says, “we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to His purpose.” Although the future is largely uncertain, God is sovereign. In seasons of uncertainty, I can choose to have a heart full of joy and contentment because of the Savior I serve. I seek a future where I walk in step with the Lord, whether He leads me to pour more into my passions or pursue the meaningful, albeit sometimes mundane, path of a career.
Perhaps passion and career can, and do, intersect, but they absolutely do not have to for us to be faithfully following the Lord. As for my own passions and career, I will attempt to pursue both with excellence. However, I stand firm in this truth which stems from John 15:5: apart from Jesus I can do nothing. So, I will pursue every endeavor with the Lord at the center of my life and listen to His voice as I navigate my next step. I plan to begin my post-grad life working a corporate 9-to-5, practicing art, and most importantly, seeking the Kingdom first.
Print by Annelise Wolfe.
A Graduation Address
Karen Wright Marsh, executive director of Theological Horizons, was privileged to address the graduating class of the Covenant School of Charlottesville. Enjoy this speech…from the archives!
Good morning, friends: families, faculty and administration—and a very good morning to you, Covenant School Class of ‘15! It is a tremendous honor to be with you on this happy occasion and to be a part of the Covenant community for a day I’ll always remember.
Graduates, while you labored over your senior theses this spring—and I know they all turned out to be brilliant papers—I had a research project of my very own. Ever since early spring, when I was invited to speak to you today, I’ve been studying hard….and I’ve learned a great deal about graduation speeches.
I went online, where I found copies of “The Greatest Commencement Addresses of All Time” and “Ten Hilarious Graduation Speeches That Won’t Put You to Sleep.” Two weeks ago my son, Will, graduated from the College of William and Mary. I was so busy taking notes on Condaleeza Rice’s speech that I almost missed seeing Will get his diploma.
This in-depth research has led me to one essential conclusion: Every speech must have one joke—at least one. So let’s put that joke out there right now. Are you ready?
So a visitor to Covenant goes into the library, walks up to the front counter and says,“Alright, Uh, so let me get a cheeseburger, large fries and a Coke, please.” Mrs. Spokes is there at the book counter and she says, “Um, sir, this is a library.” And the guy says, “Sorry, sorry, sorry….give me a cheeseburger, fries and a diet Coke.”
Want to hear my backup joke?
So one morning Jake Baltes is driving to school. He turns into the Covenant School driveway and he’s got seventeen penguins in his car. A police officer sees Jake and he stops him and he says: “Young man, I don’t know what’s going on here but you’ve gotta take those penguins to the zoo.” Jake says, “OK.” The Next day, Jake’s driving into school again and he’s got the same 17 penguins in the back of his car. The same policeman stops him again and says, “Look, kid, I stopped you yesterday and I told you to take those penguins to the zoo.” Jake’s like, “I took them to the zoo. Today we’re going to the beach!”
Seniors, isn’t it surreal to think that when you arrived on campus an hour ago….that it was the last time you’d come as a Covenant student? You may have come from town on 5th Street extended--onto Stagecoach Road then onto Oak Hill Drive. At the stop sign you took a right onto Hickory Street then it was just a few hundred yards into the upper school driveway. There, with the baseball field on your right and the soccer field on your left, was Covenant upper school laid out before you, with its brick façade and white colonnade—and beyond it, the beautiful mountains.
Could you begin to count the times you have made this drive—the mornings you’ve come around on Hickory Street and caught that view of green grass and white columns? If you’ve been at Covenant since 7th grade, you’ve taken the path to and from school well over 2,000 times. Parents who dropped off and picked you up, they can double those numbers!
Over your years here, other paths and patterns around Covenant School have become familiar. You knew the schedules and school policies. You rocked the uniform. You figured out your teachers’ expectations, the best ways to bank community service hours. You cheered for your House and led the younger kids in the ways of Wisdom, Courage, Temperance or Justice (I will show no partiality in this matter). In chapel you heard, week after week, messages grounded in gospel truths—messages about why you were here: to follow Christ’s example and to discover God’s truth in all the things you were studying.
As you grew in friendships, you learned who would truly support, care, and comfort you when times got tough—and who would celebrate with you when you got a college admission letter or a soccer win. I hope that you found joyful freedom within the limitations and structure of this well-worn territory. Familiar paths can get old, I know that. You may even be tired of the same view, the same faces.
Well, today marks your commencement from Covenant. This word “commencement” means a beginning, a new start. And that is what it is. When you pull out onto Hickory Street this afternoon, you’ll be travelling onto new roads. On the other side of summer you’ll begin college, a job or a gap year.
Let’s take a moment to imagine that that sweltering day in late August when you’ll step out into life at the crossroads.
Your family will drop you off with your pile of stuff from Bed, Bath and Beyond—your clothes hamper, desk lamp, an iron you’ll never use. They’ll head back home to your old street and leave you there, surrounded by strangers still unpacking their minivans.
Picture yourself standing there in front of your dorm, by yourself…You’ll look up the street. You’ll look down the street. You’ll see sidewalks that head across campus, to places you’ve never been. It will be an awkward, exciting, terrifying, exhilarating, lonely moment-- when you stand alone. And you’ll wonder: Which way now?
When that disorienting moment comes, I want you to remember some very simple words. Take these words and put them into your pocket so you have them on hand. They are from Scripture, from the book of Jeremiah. Here they are:
This is what the LORD says:"Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls. (Jeremiah 6:16)
As a young traveler—someone who’s left family and the stability of the life at Covenant—this verse can be a guide, a compass for you. The beliefs you may have taken for granted at this Christian school will be challenged in a big way. In the classroom you’ll wrestle with unfamiliar ideas and professors you don’t know. You’ll face tricky social dynamics on Friday nights down fraternity row. You’ll live with folks who come from different religious and moral and ethical points of view.
You will have some hard shipwreck experiences along the way. Some things that have held your world together will unravel. Maybe it’ll be the loss of a romantic relationship, maybe a physical injury or illness, an academic or personal failure; perhaps you’ll discover intellectual concepts that conflict with what you’ve assumed to be true—things that you’ve been taught here at Covenant. Truths that seem clear to you today will be shaken.
In the coming you’ll push off from the safe dock of the beliefs you’ve always held. You will be challenged to think critically about God about the world— about yourself. This is a right and necessary process. It is your work of growing up—to become the one God has created you to be, on your own, as an adult.
What will you do when you’re out there on your own—when the world around you begins to shift? When you stand at the crossroads, which of many paths will you take? Here again are the words from Jeremiah:
This is what the LORD says:"Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls. (Jeremiah 6:16)
Notice the wisdom here. Stand at the crossroads—Stand, don’t run. At that crazy 6 way intersection, don’t just run down one path in a panic——or chase after the kid who’s already a few steps ahead of you. Stop and stand. This is the time to think, to be smart, to wonder about the person you want to become—and how you’ll get there. Take a deep breath. Pray. Remember God’s close presence with you.
As you stand at the crossroads, Look—yes, there are many unknowns. You’ll choose friends, classes, academic majors. You’ll try out for teams, you might go through Greek rush, you’ll probably choose clubs & fellowship groups. But watch out for the smaller decisions you’ll make—the twists and turns in the course of a day. Will you leave your Bible out on the desk in your dorm room or will you stash it in the drawer? When you go into the dining hall, will you sit with the people you know or will you seek out the girl who’s sitting by herself? If someone hands you a beer, will you take it? Will you catch the van to church or will you sleep in this once?
Look. Open your eyes to discern where these daily choices might take you. You will make choices that you regret—and that’s ok. Some roads will lead to unexpected places.
There at the crossroads, stop and look, be aware that the small turns do set the course for your very long hike—even though you don’t know your destination.
Ask for the ancient paths. Ask where the good way is.
What are these ancient paths? I’m not going to claim that just because something is old and traditional it’s better; I wouldn’t take back my iphone 4 for anything. You studied enough history to know that uncritical nostalgia about times past can get you into big trouble.
And I’m guessing that when you start on your fabulous new adventures in the fall, you’ll be ready to explore some completely new turf. You won’t be making a U turn back here Fifth Street Extended. God is all about creating new things, about enlarging your boundaries and taking you past the edges of where you’re comfortable. God wants to you to grow.
So let’s go to Scripture for clues about these old paths. Proverbs 12:28 says, “In the way of righteousness there is life; along that path is immortality. These ancient paths of righteousness are given to you out of God’s marvelous love and mercy. Psalm 107 promises when you’re lost and desperate and call out to God, God will rescue you. God will guide your feet on a wonderful road—a path that takes you straight to good places. Jesus himself declares "I am the way" and he‘s already told us what to do: take the narrow way!
Jeremiah tells you to Ask where the good way is. When you’re at a confusing, crossroads moment—well, that’s a really good time to seek advice. Look to the people whom you admire, people that you want to be like. If you can’t text them from the intersection, just Ask yourself: Which path would they take?
Across the centuries, many of your older brothers and sisters in the faith have called out to God for help. If you’re at the University of Virginia, come to the Bonhoeffer House for lunch with me on Fridays as we explore Vintage readings. There’s so much amazing wisdom in lives of faithful Christians who have been this way before. Christ followers have marked the trail for you already. It’s a good way that will bring you Joy and life. So there’s no need to go stumbling into the thorny bushes on your own just to blaze a trail.
Check out the old maps. Remember all you’ve learned here at Covenant. You are headed out there with the rare gift of a Christian worldview, an understanding of the universe and your place in it – where you are a loved child of God.
Stand. Look. Ask for the good way. Then Walk in it. ----
Maps don’t do much good in the bottom of your backpack. Take the truths you know in your head. Consider the counsel of mentors & friends—and then go live it out. Walk in it—every day. Practice the Spiritual, relational, even academic habits that keep you moving along the good old road. It takes time to build habits. You’ll get there by walking every day, not running. And then find companions and mentors who will hike along with you, who want to follow in the way of Jesus, too.
The final words of this short verse promise that you will find rest for your soul---
In a world of anxiety, fear, perfectionism, pressure, you can find rest—You can have the assurance that you are headed in the right direction, in God’s hand, on a path that’s been worn down by travelers before you.
In the coming years, will you ask for the ancient paths? And if you find the good way, will you walk in it? Will you find rest for your soul?
I pray that you will walk in the confidence and hope of Christ. That you will have courage to live and learn boldly. And you’ll remember that the roads to Covenant School will still be here; you know the way to Hickory Street by now.
Before I leave you, a blessing:
May the Lord Christ go with you, wherever he may send you; may he guide you through the wilderness, protect you through the storm. May he bring you home rejoicing at the wonders he has shown you. May he bring you home rejoicing : once again into our doors. Amen. (May 30, 2015, Charlottesville, Virginia)
On Gratitude | Walker Hill ‘25
“I pray for a heart of faith. A heart of gratitude. A heart of love. One that is quick to love my neighbor, and my enemy. One that learns to love and learns to be loved. I want to sit with God. To trust Him. To trust others. To grow in trustworthiness. I want to learn to wait. To wait for God. To wait for others. To wait patiently for myself. Life will move quickly... I want to move slowly. Make time to praise. To relish. To awe. And to love.” - End of the year Faith & Calling Statement for Horizons Fellows
“Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; for His steadfast love endures forever” - 1 Chronicles 16:34
The last day of class holds many emotions: joy, sadness, love, sorrow, hope, doubt, excitement, uncertainty. It holds life and it holds loss. How do I stay present? How do I cherish my last walk to class? How do I fully take in the sight of the Rotunda?
I have found myself asking these questions daily, but especially today. What can I possibly do to remember, to embrace, to cherish, and to hold onto these precious, fleeting moments? I don’t have an ideal answer for these questions. I don’t have a perfect memory that will hold these moments forever. I don’t have a phone with unlimited storage to take photos. But I do have a simple practice that each and every one of us is capable of: gratitude. Oh of course, gratitude! The cliché encouragement to all struggles. And while that may be your initial response (and mine too), I firmly believe it is the only way to stay present, to cherish my last walk to class, and to fully take in the sight of the Rotunda.
With that, I want to thank You, Lord. I want to thank You for these moments with friends. I want to thank You for my last walk to class and I want to thank You for the stroll I took around the Lawn today. Thank You for the beautiful gifts, the precious moments and the wonderful friends that You have blessed me with at UVA. Thank You for the memories of driving down Garth Road. Thank You for the nights we stayed up dancing. And thank You for the nights we fell asleep crying. Thank You for the sad, lonely times. And thank You for the heart-filled, joyful laughter. Thank You for 4 years that brought me closer to You, that made me wrestle with You, that made me doubt You, that made me praise You, and that ultimately has left me with two words: thank You.
I pray for more moments and memories that leave me speechless - moments in which my only option is to say, “thank you, Lord”. When I walk the Lawn alongside my best friends on May 17th and when I say my last goodbyes and when I am too exhausted and sad to make conversation, I want to have enough gratitude in my heart to say, “thank you, Lord”.
On Immigrants, Exile & Community | Eden Abebe ‘26
Have you ever felt the need to be special? Not just different, but set apart in a way that makes you feel seen and significant? As the eldest daughter of an Ethiopian refugee, I often carried this desire. I wanted to believe that my experience, my heritage, and my story were distinct. I wore this “first-generation Ethiopian-American” identity with pride, as though it were a badge that could explain everything, my perspective, my purpose. But as I’ve grown, I’ve come to understand that I am not unique in this story. I’m not the exception. I’m part of a much larger pattern of displacement, sacrifice, and survival that shaped my father’s life and so many others'. And that realization has far from diminished me, but rather has helped me find deeper meaning in who I am and what I am called to.
In At Home in Exile (our spring reading for Perkins Fellows), Russell Jeung explores what he calls “the cult of specialness.” In American Christianity and society at large, we are encouraged to seek uniqueness, to build ourselves up through personal growth, self-esteem, and privatized faith. I resonated deeply with his story in which he shares how he once saw his Chinese Hakka heritage as something that made him stand out. But as he traced his family’s history, he discovered a story not of uniqueness, but of common suffering, of discrimination, displacement, and exclusion. And yet, in this shared struggle, he found something even more powerful than specialness. He found the call to embrace this side of his story.
This identity, once a source of shame or otherness, became for him a lens to see the Kingdom of God. The Hakka people modeled for Jeung a theology of exile. Rather than striving for comfort or upward mobility, he invites us to embrace a guest mentality that reflects Jesus himself, the ultimate outsider.
As I reflect on my own story, I realize how often I’ve been tempted to pursue the American dream of comfort and security. But the gospel calls us to something more disruptive. Scripture names us “sojourners and exiles” (1 Peter 2:11); people not defined by where we are but by how we live and walk in humility and hospitality.
Jeung’s writing invites us to reclaim our histories and not to glorify trauma, but to recognize how God redeems it. Just as he chooses to honor the values of his Hakka ancestors, I can choose to root myself in my father’s legacy.
This is why I continue to reflect deeply on what kind of community I want to build, and how my faith should shape the aspirations that I have in law. What would it mean if we stopped chasing uniqueness and instead embraced a shared identity as guests in this world, radically dependent on one another and on God?
Reflections on Vocation | Anna Deatherage ‘25
The idea of vocation has always seemed daunting and far away, something idealistic and ethereal, not substantive or concrete. In one sense, I still feel this way- I know vocation is not limited to a job, it’s larger and more complex, encompassing all of what we do and how we live. And yet, I am learning that there are practical, tangible steps to both discern what my vocation is and how to live it out in the everyday.
Through Horizons Fellows this year, and being in the transitory stage of life that is the last year of college, I have found myself in countless conversations talking about what comes next- what does it mean to live well, what are we called to, and how do we honor the Lord through all of this? Big, terrifying questions that seem to be, in some way, shape or form, at every turn- from presentations that I attend, to conversations I jump into among friends, to books I’m reading and sermons I’m hearing. While I often laugh off the questions of what comes next or give a genial, but vague, “We’ll see where I end up,” I can’t help but seriously consider what it is I am called to. Yes, I have interests, and yes, they’re important and meaningful, and I have ideas about how to use them and turn them into a job. But who knows if that will work out, and what do I do if it doesn’t?
What I keep returning to is this idea of “work” in the Bible. God worked before the fall. Period. Full stop. Work is not a consequence or a punishment or lemons to turn into lemonade but rather a way to be like God. It is the word he used to describe how he brought all of creation into existence. What I see in the Genesis story is work as an invitation, it is what he made us for, what he told us to do, and it is good. It makes me see vocation as a way to cultivate, and create, and enjoy, and care for the world, its creatures, and the people that inhabit it. To take them, myself, all of us- to the feet of the Lord, that we might serve him by rearranging and reshaping the world to orient it to his own pattern of work and rest. It’s less daunting to think of vocation in this way- if my plans don’t work out and I end up doing something completely different than I imagined, I can rest in the knowledge that whatever I do is pleasing to God as long as I am practicing love of God and love of neighbor, working to co-create his Kingdom.
It’s good to look at what I enjoy, and what I’m good at, and where these things intersect. And it’s even better to imagine a way in which that cross-section aligns with God’s plan for the world. The comforting reality is that God desires for us to work, he shows us how, and he invites us to partner with him in engaging with the world and cultivating his kingdom.
Theological Inquiry Across the University: Where Do We Go From Here?
April 24, 2025 | A Virtual Conversation
Below is the recording of the Virtual Panel Discussion in which three experts chart a path for Faith in the University, moderated by Karen Marsh. This was a companion event to the March 29 Scoper Lecture in Christian Theology.
Dr. Felicia Wu Song
Rev. Dr. Brandon Harris
Dr. John Kiess
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Felicia Wu Song is a cultural sociologist who studies the social effects of digital technologies on community and identity in contemporary life. She is author of Restless Devices: Recovering Personhood, Presence, and Place in the Digital Age (2021), Virtual Communities: Bowling Alone, Online Together (2009) and other academic articles on expectant women's online information-seeking habits and the cultural evolution of "mommy bloggers." Trained in history, communication studies, and sociology from Yale, Northwestern and University of Virginia, she has taught Mass Communication at Louisiana State University and been Professor of Sociology at Westmont College in Santa Barbara, CA.
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Rev. Dr. Brandon Harris is a higher educational professional and minister who now serves as the Director of Partnerships and Business Development at Forum for Theological Exploration where he focuses on Partner relationships (existing and developing) and matching constituents with programs. Dr. Harris has held several prominent positions, including Protestant Chaplain at Georgetown University, where he taught courses on African American religious thought and leadership, and was co-chair of the Martin Luther King Jr. Initiative. He also served as the youngest Senior Minister in the history of Peoples Congregational Church in Washington D.C. and most recently as Associate Dean for Religious & Spiritual Life at the University of Southern California. A passionate advocate for interfaith engagement and racial justice, Dr. Harris was ordained at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta. He earned his Bachelor of Arts from Lincoln University of Pennsylvania, a Master of Divinity from Emory University, and a Doctor of Ministry from New York Theological Seminary, focusing on the impact of gentrification on Black churches.
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John Kiess is an associate professor of theology at Loyola University Maryland. He completed his PhD in theology and ethics at Duke University. As a George J. Mitchell Scholar, he earned an MA in comparative ethnic conflict at Queen’s University Belfast and MPhil in theology from Cambridge University. His doctoral dissertation explored the ethics of war through the lens of the Democratic Republic of Congo, where he conducted fieldwork in 2008-2009. In addition to his work on conflict and peacemaking, he is also interested in political theology, political theory, and philosophy, and is the author of Hannah Arendt and Theology, (T&T Clark, 2016).
Easter 2025
Easter 2025
Celebrate the Feast
Christ is Risen, and you, oh Death, are annihilated!
Christ is Risen, and the evil ones are cast down!
Christ is Risen, and the angels rejoice!
Christ is Risen, and life is liberated!
Every Easter since ancient times, Orthodox Christians have recited the Paschal sermon of John Chrysostom (c347-407), using the words he first preached to new believers baptized at the Easter vigil.
Join now with the glad company of saints, our family of faith, to joyfully proclaim Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Come to the Table, welcomed by the One who lived, died and lives again - for us all!
The Lord is risen.
He is risen indeed!
Are there any who are devout and God-loving people here?
Let them enjoy this beautiful bright festival!
Are there any who are grateful servants?
Let them rejoice and enter into the joy of their Lord!
Are there any weary with fasting?
Let them now receive their wages!
If any have toiled from the first hour,
let them receive their due reward;
If any have come after the third hour,
let them with gratitude join in the Feast!
And any who arrived after the sixth hour,
let them not doubt; for they too shall sustain no loss.
And if any delayed until the ninth hour,
let them not hesitate; but let them come too.
And any who arrived only at the eleventh hour,
let them not be afraid by reason of their delay.
For the Lord is gracious and receives the last even as the first.
He gives rest to those of the eleventh
as well as to those who have labored from the first;
He is lenient with the last while looking after the first;
to the one He gives, to the other He gives freely;
He accepts the labors and welcomes the effort;
honors the deed, but commends the intent.
Let us all enter into the joy of the Lord!
First and last alike receive your reward;
rich and poor, rejoice together!
Sober and slothful, celebrate the day!
You that have kept the fast, and you that have not,
rejoice today for the Table is richly laden!
Feast royally on it, the calf is a fatted one.
Let no one go away hungry.
Partake, all, of the cup of faith.
Enjoy all the riches of His goodness!
Let no one grieve at his poverty,
for the universal kingdom has been revealed.
Let no one mourn that he has fallen again and again;
for forgiveness has risen from the grave.
Let no one fear death, for the Death of our Savior has set us free.
He has destroyed Death by enduring it.
He destroyed Hell when He descended into it.
He put it into an uproar even as it tasted of His flesh.
Isaiah foretold this when he said,
"You, O Hell, have been angered by encountering Him below."
Hell was angered because it was done away with.
It was angered because it is mocked.
It was angered, for it is destroyed.
It is angered, for it is annihilated.
It is angered, for it is now made captive.
Hell took a body, and discovered God.
It took earth, and encountered Heaven.
It took what it saw, and was overcome by what it did not see.
O death, where is thy sting?
O Hell, where is thy victory?
Christ is Risen, and you, oh Death, are annihilated!
Christ is Risen, and the evil ones are cast down!
Christ is Risen, and the angels rejoice!
Christ is Risen, and life is liberated!
Christ is Risen, and the tomb is emptied of its dead;
for Christ having risen from the dead,
has become the first-fruits of those who have fallen asleep.
To Him be Glory and Power forever and ever. Amen!
TH & Laity Lodge
Theological Horizons has a special friendship with the unique, ecumenical hidden paradise that is Laity Lodge, nestled along the Frio River in the hill country of Texas; both Karen and Christy have been invited there twice to share their speaking & artistic gifts. Karen has been the featured speaker for two of their annual women’s retreats sharing from her two books. Christy has been twice as the artist-in-residence to offer art workshops.
This past April, Christy was invited to a retreat for pastors with Winn Collier (author, Director of the Eugene Peterson Center for Christian Imagination, & Episcopal priest) and Kathleen Norris (author & poet). Christy led an exploratory abstract art workshop using homemade egg tempera.
The prompt for the retreat was belovedness. Explains Collier, “At his baptism, the Father spoke tender, thundering words over Jesus: you are my beloved. These are the first words we all must hear from the Father, the first words giving us our place in the world, our vocation. What followed, though, was the Spirit leading Jesus into the Wilderness for those grueling weeks of temptation—temptations to grab power and abandon his humanness and use God for his own purposes. This wilderness was Jesus commencing his public ministry, a harbinger of how ministry is often a place of wilderness tempting for many pastors. One of these seductive temptations is to make our sermons and our vocation about us (our personality, our pet issues, our insecurities), rather than allowing Scripture to illuminate the many ways God is calling his people to live out the concrete details of our lives. Faithful ministry — giving away the God who is alive in Scripture—requires first knowing we are the beloved.”
Browse photos below and check out the talks as well. For more information on the retreat & Laity Lodge, click here.
Spring 2025 Faith & Work Lunch
It was such a joy to host our Spring 2025 Faith & Work Lunch with Tim & Luke Tassopoulos at the UVA Batten School for Public Policy. See the video below as well as photos from the packed event!
Tim Tassopoulos, President & COO of Chick-fil-A (retired) was joined in conversation by his son, Luke Tassopoulos (UVA ‘18, Batten ‘19, Darden ‘26) to candidly share and tease out from their own stories legacies of leadership in the workplace (Tim) and in the Navy (Luke). With his wife, Maria, a former TH board member, Tim is a longtime TH supporter and UVA parent. Tim began his 46-year Chick-fil-A career as a teenager working behind the cash register. He rose through the ranks, joining the corporate staff to open the first standalone Chick-fil-A restaurant. From there, his commitment to servant leadership proved essential to the great success of the enterprise, guiding it to become a key industry force.
Throughout his life and corporate success, Tim remains faithful to beliefs he holds and to his community, teaching Sunday School to high schoolers in his native Atlanta. When it comes to leadership, Tim always asks: “‘What am I doing with what I've been given?’, and ‘Am I making a difference in someone else's life?’ For me the starting point [is], ‘Am I focused on achievement or contribution?’”
About the Faith & Work Forum
The Faith & Work Forum is a free, public conversation series held at the University of Virginia. We feature guest speakers with leadership experience from across a wide range of fields - from medicine and law to finance and the arts. Each brings authentic stories on the interplay between faith, work, and life and hard won insights on the search for meaningful, purpose-driven vocations. Tim will be interviewed by his son, Luke, who graduated from the UVA Batten School as an undergrad and is currently enrolled at UVA’s Darden School of Business.
Discover past talks at www.theologicalhorizons.org/faithandworkforum.
Palm Sunday | 2025
PALM SUNDAY 2025
Invitation to Wonder: Enter into the Story with Jesus
Jesus went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem….After throwing their cloaks on the colt, [two disciples] set Jesus on it. As he rode along, people kept spreading their cloaks on the road. As he was now approaching the path down from the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the deeds of power that they had seen, saying,
"Blessed is the king
who comes in the name of the Lord!
Peace in heaven,
and glory in the highest heaven!" Luke 19:28-40 (read more Lenten Scripture)
On this Palm Sunday, your God-given imagination can bring you into a prayer-ful encounter with Jesus Christ himself, helping you see the Gospel story in a new way.
The practice of imaginative Gospel contemplation is a method of prayer in which you imagine yourself in a Gospel scene, stepping into the story and encountering Jesus there. St Ignatius, who taught this way of praying, firmly believed that God can speak to you just as clearly in your imagination as through your understanding of the Scriptures and sacraments. It is one more way to know Jesus.
You will be invited to take on the role of an active participant who meets Jesus in a unique and personal way. You will picture yourself in the story: right there with Jesus, watching Jesus’ face, listening to the way he speaks, seeing how people respond to him. Come to know Jesus as more than a name or a historical figure in a book. Meet him as a living person whom you may encounter in prayer, joining centuries of believers who say, “We have come to know him ourselves...” (John 4:42)
Are you ready to try imaginative Gospel contemplation?
#1 Read the Scripture passage
two times through, becoming familiar with the details of the story:
As Jesus came to Bethphage and Bethany on the Mount of Olives, he gave two disciples a task. He said, “Go into the village over there. When you enter it, you will find tied up there a colt that no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks, ‘Why are you untying it?’ just say, ‘Its master needs it.’” Those who had been sent found it exactly as he had said. As they were untying the colt, its owners said to them, “Why are you untying the colt?”
They replied, “Its master needs it.” They brought it to Jesus, threw their clothes on the colt, and lifted Jesus onto it. As Jesus rode along, they spread their clothes on the road. As Jesus approached the road leading down from the Mount of Olives, the whole throng of his disciples began rejoicing. They praised God with a loud voice because of all the mighty things they had seen. They said,“Blessings on the king who comes in the name of the Lord. Peace in heaven and glory in the highest heavens.” (Luke 19:29-38)
#2 Now….Imagine the place
Set the scene. What is the location? What does it look like? What details do you see? Take time to “compose the place” in your mind’s eye.
#3 Engage all your senses
Go beyond just what you can see to involve all of your senses. Fully immerse yourself into the story; What do you smell, hear, taste and touch? Follow whatever thoughts help you fill out an imagined sensory experience of the place.
#4 Let the scene play out
Now move into the ‘action’ of the scene. Let the story unfold in your mind. You are not just watching the scene from the outside, as a viewer of a movie. Instead, see yourself as a character inside the story, perhaps even someone on the periphery of the main action. Allow yourself to be drawn into whatever captures your imagination.
#5 Open your heart to Jesus
Conclude with a conversation in your imagination between Jesus and yourself, as one friend speaks with another. Express what is in your mind and heart. Let Jesus express His responses too. This is prayer.
Lent 5 | 2025
Invitation to Wonder: Make a Lavish Gesture
Jesus entered Bethany where Lazarus, so recently raised from the dead, was living. Lazarus and his sisters invited Jesus to dinner at their home…Mary came in with a jar of very expensive aromatic oils, anointed and massaged Jesus’ feet, and then wiped them with her hair. The fragrance of the oils filled the house. John 12:1-4 (read more Lenten Scripture)
I imagine Jesus sitting back, breathing in the scent of exotic spices, relaxing into the healing foot massage after another grueling day of walking, healing, serving. Looking on at the scene, Judas Iscariot criticizes Mary’s sumptuous act as irresponsible, a waste - yet Jesus reprimands him, cherishing her generous act of tender bodily care. How poignant it is to hear Jesus speak of his own suffering and death, for you and I know that it is soon to come.
Centuries later, Therese of Lisieux would say, “When one loves, one does not calculate.” Truly, it is by spending oneself that one becomes wealthy, for “a generous person will be enriched and one who gives water will get water.” (Proverbs 11:35)
During Lent we journey on toward a remembrance of Christ’s passion – when Jesus spent his very life for us. Let us walk in his way with Mary, who spent all that she had to show her love.
Meditate upon these words from the Christian community of Taize:
“The poor of the gospel learn to live without certainty about the morrow, in generous confidence that all will be given. The spirit of poverty is to live in the gladness of each day. If for God there is generosity in providing the good things of the earth, for human beings there is grace in giving what they have received.” (The Rule of Taize)
Now sit in prayer with the question:
What lavish, generous, even “irresponsible” gesture is mine to make during this season?
Lent 4 | 2025
Invitation to Wonder: Look for the Helpers
From now on, we regard no one from a human point of view…If anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation…2 Corinthians 5:16-21 (read more Lenten Scripture)
In his scientific study on the emotion of awe, researcher Dr. Dacher Keltner asked his subject one question. “What is an experience of awe that you have had, when you encountered a vast mystery that transcends your understanding of the world?”
Keltner expected his subjects to find awe most often through encounters with nature or through religious practice.
But in fact, he discovered that the number one, most common experience of awe comes through witnessing other people’s courage, kindness, strength, or overcoming – what Keltner calls moral beauty. We feel wonder when we witness goodness in others: goodness of intention, bravery, selfless aid of others or even the courage to endure suffering.
Mr. Rogers once said, “When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.”
Fred Rogers was a Presbyterian minister and he viewed the world through the lens of faith. He might describe the helpers through the words of the prophet Isaiah, who exclaims,“How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” (52:7)
If you want to nurture awe, get out there and look for the helpers in your own sphere. They may be people you know well. They may be strangers on the street or in a coffee shop. They may be people who save lives, find cures, feed the hungry, collect trash, build houses, pick up the slack at work,run races for charity, who make the coffee in the church kitchen on Sundays. The helpers are everywhere.
Look for the people who believe and “call on the name of the Lord” in ways that extend beyond their personal, spiritual inner lives, who undertake morally beautiful actions on behalf of others, especially those in need.
People of Moral beauty are, I think, less plagued by perfectionism – the compulsion to get it all perfectly right and in control.In them we more often see a spirit of freedom, selflessness, risk and joy as they embody God’s hope in the world,walking alongside their neighbors and demonstrating God’s grace, solidarity, and love in their being and doing.
Let’s pay attention. Let’s look for the helpers – and experience the awe that just may liberate us to be helpers, too.
Take 4 minutes to ponder the question:
Where have you encountered helpers?
See if you can think of 7 specific examples, from heroic to humble.
Click here to hear an interview with Dacher Keltner on the science of awe.
From Thai Food to Perkins | Megnot Abebe ‘25
Have you ever considered why you do things a certain way, like eating a particular cuisine?
Growing up in Ethiopia, I wasn’t exposed to Thai until I came to college and experienced Silk Thai. But I am now very fond of Thai cuisine. The options available to me in Ethiopia, paired with the consumption patterns of my family, defined my eating palette. This social phenomenon applies not only to cuisine preference but to more significant matters like core values and life trajectories.
We are all embedded within a sociopolitical context that shapes our values and cultures. In the current book we are reading with Perkins Fellows, At Home in Exile, Jeung writes about how we can’t escape the logic of capitalism in which we are embedded (87). He refers to our desire for upward mobility for us and our children. This is paired with the fact that, as humans, we are likely to imitate what we see. Indeed, social reference theory explains how humans shape their actions and behaviors in reference to the persons and models we engage with. We shop at the same places our parents do and adopt a lot of our life values through instances of socialization like school, family, and community organizations we are part of. And maybe if more people around me liked or ate Thai food in Ethiopia, I would have tried it sooner.
So, what does it look like for each of us to go on a journey of cultural exploration to understand what cultures have shaped and can shape our understanding of the kingdom of God and how to pursue it with our neighbors?
In the book, the author offers a model of community development through the traditions of the Hakka people—one of the grateful guests and can be translated to “the guest families” (56). Jeung explains that the Chinese Hakka people were “modest, unassuming” but also “despised”. Undeterred by how Hakka people have been known, Jeung affirms Ralph Ellison's statement that you can “create yourself” by choosing the values of the ancestors to hold by reclaiming their history and, therefore, Jeung reclaims “his identity as Chinese Hakka”. This is impactful because he invites us to reimagine our identities by choosing models that defy a capitalist system that exploits others and subvert it by approaching it with Christlike meekness and humility. Through the story of the Hakka people, Jeung uses a hermeneutic understanding of guests and community development based on his cultural background. In addition, this story teaches us more about his familial history and his struggle with identity.
The model of meekness that has led my vocational journey and exploration of community development after Jesus is Saint Nicholas of 4th century Myra (present-day Turkey). He is one of the most beloved saints in the Orthodox Church. After his death, it was found that he often made secret donations, earning him the title: of “protector and helper of those in need.” So even in a society that pushes us to seek personal fulfillment and material wealth, we can have models for our faith that are different from only what we know and see, like Saint Nicholas. We can, through that, choose to join a “great cloud of witnesses” (Hebrews 12).
This inspiration of knowing how we can better serve communities around us is what led me to consider being a Perkins Fellow. I wanted to better understand community development through a faith lens and then see it applied while being part of an organization that does that in Charlottesville. Being a Perkins Fellow also meant that I got the honor to continue the legacy of Dr John and Vera Mae Perkins legacy—one that emphasizes the importance of reconciliation, relocation, and redistribution in our faith journey and justice with our communities.
After reading this, I hope you would take a second to reflect on which or whose model you want to follow as you guide your life, as well as read more about the life of Dr. John and Vera Mae Perkins to be inspired by a life of justice, mercy, and love. As we learn the stories of Kingdom builders that have come before us, we can be challenged to imagine a new model for community, one cuisine at a time.