2 students tell us about the Student Weekend Away earlier this month. You can listen to the talks here.
On the 3rd of June, the students went to the Gower peninsula for our summer weekend away. It was the day of my last exam, so going straight to the beach was ideal. Spending some time together thinking about Jesus’ resurrection and ours was a great way to end the year, especially with those of us who are graduating or going abroad next year. We enjoyed singing exultant songs of Jesus’ resurrection, warm weather on the beach (with a lacklustre attempt at sports from myself) and great conversations amid a barbeque and a bonfire.
Looking at 1 Corinthians 15, with 4 months of summer ahead, really got me thinking about how I would spend my time at home. I could finally read all the books I’ve been wanting to read, I could try out new restaurants with my friends or I could just spend the entire time on the beach. The possibilities can get dizzying. But the passage showed me that Jesus’ resurrection has secured mine – meaning that I am free from the longing to maximise my enjoyment in life. It means that I can be more willing to face the hard things that come as well. We live differently now because we’ve got life coming! So now I can more gladly pray that the Lord makes it my top priority to point people to Christ this summer, and in fact, everyday, no matter how difficult it may be because “…Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep." And I can eagerly look forward to that glorious day when we are raised to eternal life with imperishable bodies, and our God is all in all.
Chelsea, Emmanuel Westbury
It is always a privilege to have a few days of slowed down time on the weekend away, especially after busy exam periods, having fun with each other and focusing on Christ before we all head in our different directions for the summer. This year, I particularly enjoyed being with my small group, both in sessions discussing 1 Cor 15, and also in down time, on the beach and around camp fire etc. At the end of a year, it is so encouraging to see how Christ has used the group to grow us all in godliness and faith in Christ over the year.
1 Corinthians 15 is an amazing goldmine on the differences that Jesus’ resurrection makes. Christ is the firstfruits of the resurrection which gives us complete confidence that we will follow (cue a cascade of strawberries over us mid-talk to illustrate the point.) When asked at the end of the weekend which verses we wanted to remember, our small group all had unique verses in the chapter, each with powerful applications to their summers. The verses I chose were v51-52:
"Listen, I tell you a mystery: we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed – in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed."
This is a great hope for the future, especially in a busy summer and with making future plans post university. This hope demonstrates that it is worth standing firm and giving ourselves fully to the work of the Lord, both over the summer and in the future, as we can be sure that our labour is not in vain.
Luke, Emmanuel City Centre
