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.
Lent 3 | 2025
Invitation to Wonder: Listen to Live
“Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen carefully to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food. Incline your ear, and come to me; listen, so that you may live…” Isaiah 55:2-3
“The real problem of the Christian life comes where people do not usually look for it. It comes the very moment you wake up each morning. All your wishes and hopes for the day rush at you like wild animals. And the first job each morning consists simply in shoving them all back…in listening to that other voice, taking that other point of view, letting that other larger, stronger, quieter life come flowing in. And so on, all day.”
When C.S. Lewis wrote these words in 1952, he had no idea what the iphone would bring: jolts of alarms, emails, notifications, alerts, texts, calls. Still, he was prescient in saying, “the real problem of the Christian life comes…the very moment you wake up each morning.”
The attention economy pushes urgency, fear, and dopamine-driven engagement to keep us checking our phones, scrolling through social media, and consuming news.
The more time we spend on screens first thing in the morning, the more likely we are to continue engaging with digital distractions throughout the day.
Did you know that sleep restores our brains by flushing out toxins that build up during waking hours? Our brains are quite literally at their “cleanest and clearest” upon waking.
There’s a real cost to just giving away our precious attention the first thing in the morning - when we are primed for vitality. Yet we throw it all away so carelessly.
Today’s Lenten scripture challenges the choices I make, the habits that leave me thirsty for something better – and calls me to return to a God who prepares a wonderful physical and spiritual feast each day.
To those of us thirsty, out in the wilderness, here is an invitation to turn away from what does not satisfy and to seek God’s mercy and abundant life.
“Listen, so that you may live.” What is this listening that leads to life?
Let’s talk morning routines.
Online high-performance morning routines are inspired by influencers, elite athletes, CEOs: 2 hour regimens that kick off before dawn, primed by 6:30am to dominate the day.
What about a morning routine that is gentler and kinder? A routine that holds off hungry distractions and orients your heart toward God, a routine inspired by ancient Christians - one that skips the ice cold shower? Try this:
#1. Listen to Live: Protect the Silence
“Seek the Lord…call him while he is near.” Isaiah 55:6
“Silence yourself to hear God speaking within you.” St. Augustine
“Silence is not a void to be filled. It is a place where we listen for the whispers of God.” Macrina Wiederkehr
#2. Listen to Live: Savor God’s Word
“Eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food.” Isaiah 55:2
“When we read, God speaks to us.” Jerome
“The Word of Scripture should never stop sounding in your ears and working in you all day long, just like the words of someone you love… Do not ask, ‘How shall I pass this on?’ but ‘What does it say to me?’ Then ponder this word long in your heart until it has gone right into you and taken possession of you.” Dietrich Bonhoeffer
"The word is near you, on your lips and in your heart. Listen with your heart, for the heart is where God speaks." Augustine
#3 Listen to Live: Pray with Attention
“Incline your ear, and come to God” Isaiah 55:3
“Listen with the ear of your heart.” St. Benedict
"Many voices ask for our attention... But underneath all these often very noisy voices is a still, small voice that says, 'You are my Beloved, my favor rests on you.' That's the voice we need most of all to hear."
"You have to listen to the one who calls you beloved. That has to be affirmed over and over again. That is prayer—listening to the voice of the one who calls you 'the beloved. It is being alone with the One who says, 'You are my Beloved, I want to be with you. Don’t go running around, don’t start to prove to everybody that you’re beloved. You are already beloved.'" Henri J.M. Nouwen
#4: Listen to Live: Step into the Day
Through a simple morning practice, however brief, we resist competing distractions and prioritize deep, sacred attention.
C.S. Lewis assures us that when we make it our “first job of the morning” to shove back the clamor of hopes, wishes, distractions and demands, and listen instead to that other Voice, taking that other point of view, then we allow that other larger, stronger, quieter life to come flowing in.
Today, let us step out of the wind, as Lewis says, and return to all that awaits: the richness of God’s mercy and beauty of our lives.
Lent 2 | 2025
Invitation to Wonder: Look Toward Heaven
“The word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: ‘Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward….’ He brought Abram outside and said, ‘Look toward heaven and count the stars, if you are able to count them.’ Then the Lord said to him, ‘So shall your descendants be.’ And Abram believed the Lord; and the Lord reckoned it to him as righteousness.” Genesis 15:5
A recent study found that people who attend to the wonder of the night sky enjoy improved mental health and happiness and experience the stress reducing benefits of the calming nocturnal environment. The Bible, too, urges us to gaze upward. Just as God promises Abram a future as abundant as the stars above, the Apostle Paul reminds us that “our citizenship is in heaven, and it is from there that we are expecting a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.” (Philippians 3:20)
None of this would surprise Vincent Van Gogh, who wrote, “When I have a terrible need of—shall I say the word—religion. Then I go out at night and paint the stars.”
Tonight let’s get outside and try stargazing! The heavens declare the glory of God, the skies proclaim the work of His hands. (Psalm 19:1) Are you ready?
Find Your Spot
Choose a quiet place where you can be comfortable and still (your backyard, a park, a rooftop, or even by a window).
Read: “Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one and calls forth each of them by name. Because of His great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing.” (Isaiah 40:26)
Skim through this guide so you will be able to set it aside and savor the darkness.
Set a Spiritual Intention
Slow down with the Psalmist, “O tarry and await the Lord's pleasure; be strong, and he shall comfort your heart; wait patiently for the Lord.” (Ps. 27:18)
As you begin, say a short prayer to invite God into this moment.
“Lord, as I look at Your creation, help me see Your glory.”
“Father, just as the stars are countless, so is Your love.”
“Jesus, You are the light of the world; may I reflect Your light.”
Adjust to the Darkness
Close your eyes for a moment and take slow, deep breaths. As your eyes adjust to the night, recall the biblical story as God placed the stars in the sky as signs and seasons.
Gaze and Observe
Now look up and take in the sky, allowing your gaze to range freely. Imagine Abram hearing God’s promise: descendants as numerous as the stars. Absorb the awe of God’s promise to you: a citizenship in heaven and a Savior, Jesus Christ.
Pray with One Star
Find one bright star and focus upon it.
Breathe in slowly, saying silently or aloud: 'God, You are my light.'
Breathe out, saying: 'I trust in You.' (or create your own breath prayer)
Repeat until you feel that your time is complete. Stretch, move, return.
Connect and Reflect
Where did your mind go as you observed the sky?
What emotions came up for you?
Why do you think Van Gogh said, “When I have a terrible need of—shall I say the word—religion. Then I go out at night and paint the stars”?
How might stargazing enrich your Lenten season?
Go in Peace
'Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky.”(Philippians 2:15)
Reflections on Place | Ellie Joye ‘25
People often say there’s a difference between a house and a home. I think the same idea applies to the difference between space and place. A space is just a physical location – somewhere people interact. But a place is something more. It isn’t just physical or visible; it can feel vividly real. The places we inhabit shape who we are as we move through life – people live, grow, and find meaning in places.
Place is the white, stony cliffs of Ireland, steeped in history. It’s the coffee shop you return to again and again. But it’s also something you find in people as much as in structures. Place is the look of a loved one as they pull you into a familiar embrace. At its core, place is both the foundation and the product of shared human experience.
I often struggle to find my own “place”—some sense of consistency in what feels like an unsettled world. I love to travel, always moving from one place to another, and each destination leaves its mark on me. And yet, no matter where I go, I don’t always feel the deep, resounding sense of home. I know I’m not alone in this – many people drift from place to place without ever finding one to truly call their own. That feeling often leaves me restless, always searching for the next place that might finally feel right.
Wendell Berry challenges this kind of restlessness. He encourages us to step away from the world’s constant motion and instead find stillness in nature, where everything works as it should. He captures this idea in his poem The Peace of Wild Things:
When despair for the world grows in me
and I wake in the night at the least sound
in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.
I come into the peace of wild things
who do not tax their lives with forethought
of grief. I come into the presence of still water.
And I feel above me the day-blind stars
waiting with their light. For a time
I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.
Berry reminds us to seek peace in the rhythms of nature rather than in constant movement that often feels like chaos. I think about this often. I worry about graduation, about starting a career, about stock market crashes, about the world my future children will live in – about all the tragedies, both fresh and still to come. But Berry calls us to something different: to the grace and stillness that I so often trade for a busier schedule.
But can words like stillness, silence, and peace really describe modern life? Am I willing to let go of the constant search for my place in the world?
Maybe I’ll wrestle with that question for the rest of my life. But lately, I’ve started to realize that maybe there isn’t just one perfect place for me. Maybe my place is the yellow house in Charlottesville. Maybe it’s in the familiar smiles of my hometown friends. Maybe it’s in the airplane that whisks me away to my next destination. Or maybe, just maybe, place is wherever I find the most peace.
Lent 1 | 2025
Ask Probing Questions
After his baptism, Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan River and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days and afterward Jesus was starving… Luke 4:1-2a
Lent is here - and in no time our complacency is undone. But as Flannery O’Connor reminds us, “What people don’t realize is how much religion costs. They think faith is a big electric blanket, when of course it is the cross.”
On this first Sunday, I turn to a passage by American pastor Frederick Buechner, who urges us to wake up to the wondrous practice of asking tough questions.
In many cultures there is an ancient custom of giving a tenth of each year’s income to some holy use. For Christians, to observe the forty days of Lent is to do the same thing with roughly a tenth of each year’s days.
After being baptized by John in the river Jordan, Jesus went off alone into the wilderness where he spent forty days asking himself the question of what it meant to be Jesus. During Lent, Christians are supposed to ask one way or another what it means to be themselves.
If you had to bet everything you have on whether there is a God or whether there isn’t, which side would get your money and why?
When you look at your face in the mirror, what do you see in it that you most like and what do you see in it that you most deplore?
If you had only one message to leave to a handful of people who are most important to you, what would it be in 25 words or less?
Of all the things you have done in your life, which is the one you would most like to undo? Which is the one that makes you happiest to remember?
Is there any person in the world that, if circumstances called for it, you would be willing to die for?
If this were the last day of your life. What would you do with it?
To hear yourself try to answer questions like these is to begin to hear something not only of who you are but of both what you are becoming and what you are failing to become. It can be a pretty depressing business all in all, but if sackcloth and ashes are at the start of it, something like Easter may be at the end. – Frederick Buechner, Wishful Thinking
Ash Wednesday 2025
God formed Man out of dirt from the ground and blew into his nostrils the breath of life. The Man came alive—a living soul!” Genesis 2:7
Scientists tell us that 97% of our bodies - primarily oxygen, carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, calcium and phosphorus - are the very same elements that compose, well, dirt.
This fact should not shock, for each Ash Wednesday we are called to remember the words of the Bible: “You are dust, and to dust you shall return." This verse is no mere poetry. Our physical beings are, quite literally, that of humus (Latin for “soil”). How humbling.
True humility brings a kind of relief to those of us who labor to be more, do more, prove more. But humility is no weakness. Out of the 16th century, Teresa of Avila reassures us that “humility is the truth. To be humble is to walk in truth, to recognize what we are in the sight of God, and to know that our worth depends on God’s mercy.”
Mother Teresa puts it plainly. “If you are humble, nothing will touch you, neither praise nor disgrace, because you know what you are.” Dust.
As we step into Lent may we wake up to the wonder of this truth: we are made from the earth. And we are, in God's hands, created to bear abundant fruit.
Invitation to Wonder: Dig in the Dirt
"The soil is the great connector of lives, the source and destination of all. It is the healer and restorer and resurrector." Wendell Berry (b. 1934, American writer and farmer)
Take 8 minutes to go outside. Leave behind your phone but take along a spade, a shovel or even a spoon. Bring a magnifying glass if you have one.
Find a patch of soil and dig up a healthy clump. Now settle in and look very closely at the dirt, as if seeing dirt for the very first time. Touch it. Smell it. Examine the soil for the presence of minerals, organic matter, water, even living organisms.
As you hold the dirt in your hands, taking abundant time, prayerfully meditate upon the words of St. Augustine (354–430 AD)
“You are dust, and to dust you shall return. Be humble, for you are made of earth. Be noble, for you are made for God.”
This Lenten devotional is inspired by Wake Up To Wonder: 22 Invitations to Amazement in the Everyday by Karen Wright Marsh (Brazos: 2022). Available wherever books are sold.
As Lent Begins
Three days from now, Ash Wednesday will bring in Lent: the Christian church’s season of forty lengthening days (“lencten” from Old English) that lead up to our celebration of Christ’s resurrection. Traditionally, Lent is a time to take stock, turn to God in repentance, and cry out for God’s mercy.
Lent aptly recalls the Latin word "lente" – "slowly." Indeed, the lingering grind of winter can feel lengthy indeed.
But know this: day upon day, we gain two additional minutes of sunlight. By the time Easter arrives on April 20, we will have gained two hours of daylight. In the meantime, will we take notice of this incremental brightening?
Orthodox theologian Alexander Schmemann writes of Lent as a time of "a bright sadness: the sadness of my exile, of the waste I have made of my life; the brightness of God’s presence and forgiveness, the joy of the recovered desire for God."
Throughout this year’s Lenten season, I invite you to seek out the brightness. To wake up to wonder with me. In each weekly Theological Horizons post, we will look out for the tiny quotidian signs of divine grace hidden in plain sight; we will practice a spirit of attention; we will experience, yes, the joy of a recovered desire for God.
When Easter morning dawns bright and radiant, our sadness will give way to the fullness of God’s brightness. Together we will shout, “Hallelujah!”
Formation into Christlikeness: Reflections from Data and Dialogue
admiring the fall view of campus and the city atop UChicago’s landmark Rockefeller Chapel.
As this year’s Leadership Associate, I enjoyed representing Theological Horizons at a recent conference on character, moral, and virtue formation amongst college students. This conference presented the findings from a study that surveyed students from Theological Horizons, other Christian Study Centers, Institutes for Catholic Thought, and Christian colleges/universities on their religious beliefs and practices alongside their development and display of virtues. I participated in the study at Wheaton College, my alma mater, and treasured the opportunity to discover what its robust data yielded about how these institutions form students in their faith, thought, and life.
The presenters skillfully balanced theoretical foundations with practical applications. On the theoretical side, they opened my eyes and mind to the rich world of virtue ethics. Overall, this term refers to the concept that ethics-how we rightly act-flow from the formation of virtues-positive traits that guide our spiritual, intellectual, emotional, and physical lives. On the practical side, this conference centered around how to practice and promote virtue formation for students. The presenters emphasized the critical influence of habits in our formation, which illuminated how these high-level intellectual ideas often distill down into simple, everyday realities. This realization energizes me in relation to the accessibility of intellectual concepts like virtue ethics for people of all backgrounds and experiences.
As the data attested to the value of simple practices in forming profound virtues, I immediately thought of its relevance for Theological Horizons. At Vintage Lunch and with our Fellows, we promote rigorous intellectual discussion while inviting students into simple practices that provide a break from the intellectual rigor of UVA student life. Similarly, for our broader community in various life stages and roles, some of which rigorously challenge them intellectually and others that consist of more mundane, earthy tasks like caregiving, seemingly simple practices like silent prayer or taking a walk carry the potential to build a vibrant life of virtue.
Beyond the general patterns of formation, the presenters celebrated that none of the virtues decreased and a number significantly increased over the study’s 2 years. Students displayed growth in patience, courage, expressed teachability, and intellectual humility. On the other hand, analysis of students’ religious practices revealed a more complex picture. While students’ practices of individual devotion decreased, their practices of communal devotion increased. More granular analysis bore out the vital role of community in developing virtue, as students involved in spiritually formative spaces with others, such as Fellows programs, demonstrated higher virtue development than those involved primarily in individual activities.
As I consider how this data on the essential role of community possibly informs Theological Horizons, it affirms the significance of inviting students at Vintage Lunch to share in spiritual practices and spurs me to gratitude for the gift of returning week after week to embrace these longstanding disciplines with them. As I heard statistics highlighting how experiences like learning theological frameworks for applying faith in all of life and participating in Fellows programs positively shape students, I grew in appreciation for Theological Horizons as a ministry that offers these exact kind of experiences, with Christy’s excellent leadership of Horizons and Perkins Fellows top of mind. As someone in this space only for a year, serving students who spend at most 4 years embedded in our regular rhythms, it encourages me deeply to discover concrete evidence that formative spaces like this community guide people even after they leave.
Amidst many prominent stories of devastating moral failure in religious institutions, this study’s findings and my vibrant conversations at the conference with others serving students and communities across the country instills hope for a more faithful future witness in our world. For example, Dr. Jonathan Brant shared about how he started a virtues-based leadership development program, inspired by the Christian tradition but not explicitly faith-based, at Oxford University. He reported overwhelming interest in the program and explained that meaningful conversations about his faith often ensued because of the program’s hospitable approach. By offering some of the rich resources of our tradition without pressuring people to convert, many people actually ended up seeking to delve deeper into the Christian faith. This testimony profoundly resonates with me, as it brings to mind Theological Horizons’ motto “All are welcome. Always.” People desire to learn more about Christ when we who know Him model the character to which He calls us, through the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. Whether students, parents, professionals, and/or friends in any vocation, let us join together in the ordinary, everyday habits that form us into people who reflect and embody the way of Christ in word and deed!
Joy at the Kindness Cafe | Kaya Lynch ‘25
Going into this year of being a Perkins Fellow, I was unsure about what that would look like for me. I knew I wouldn’t be able to attend CCDA in person, and there was a time conflict with my volunteering for Abundant Life. During Perkins Plunge, I met Katie Kishore, and learned about Kindness Cafe. Her story and vision for a place of employment for adults with disabilities struck a chord within me, and that has been where I have chosen to volunteer.
Over the summer, I was able to work with kids with disabilities, but I had never truly interacted with adults who had disabilities before. Frankly, I was a little nervous. What if I wasn’t able to understand them? How much of a role was I to take on in this space? After volunteering there for a couple of weeks, I realized that the main problem with the questions I was asking was that they were focused on myself, and my own capabilities. Yet, the people I worked with were perfectly capable of simple and complex tasks, and found a joy in it that the Bible demands. Suddenly, I was confronted with my own ego and my own unwilling attitude towards work. In Genesis, the Lord rests and finds satisfaction in the work He has done, and gifts Adam and Eve with the blessing of stewarding the garden of Eden for themselves.
Ecclesiastes 2:24 says that “There is nothing better for a person than that he should eat and drink and find enjoyment in his toil. This also, I saw, is from the hand of God.” Kindness has reminded me that we are called to work, and to find joy in our work. The employees at Kindness are so willing and joyful to show up to work each day, and every order is a chance to do their best. I have been convicted of my own failure to view work as the blessing that it is, and how I can honor God in the minute tasks of work.
Throughout my time volunteering at Kindness, I have learned to work alongside, not over, the employees. I have learned when to step in, and when to step back. In the midst of this, we have had some wonderful conversations! The beauty of God’s kingdom is that we all work together, teach each other, and share in the ups and downs of life together. Before Kindness, I had not had friendships with adults with disabilities. Now, I can safely say that the richness and fullness of relationship with these brothers and sisters in Christ has transformed my view of the Kingdom, and my own career path. I would encourage everyone to take a step back and walk alongside people who you are not used to. It is only then that I believe that we will understand what it means to love as Jesus did.