You returning students seemed to bring cool air with you this weekend. It has felt like October in New Orleans for the past few days. I have my windows open in my office at the moment. It is August in New Orleans, and I feel a breeze coming through the windows. Who says miracles don’t happen anymore?!
I want to share news about some good stuff that happened on Sunday.
1) First, we had a United Christian Gathering at Tulane Sunday afternoon. How great to have eleven Christian organizations on campus gathered together in unity. Our collect for the day, the prayer appointed for the day which was prayed by all Episcopal churches yesterday, happened to be about Christian unity– It couldn’t have been more fitting. We hope to more united Christian gathering in the future. I figure that our God must delight in these expressions of unity with our brothers and sisters.
That prayer is below:
Grant, O merciful Lord, that your Church,being gathered together in unity by your Holy Spirit, may show forth your power among all peoples, to the glory of your name, through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, for ever and ever. Amen
2) Another great thing that happened was that we had our first 7pm worship service together for the year. Since the AC was out in the chapel, we had the first part of the service out on the courtyard. We sat in a circle together, heard the crickets, and reflected together on the scriptures for the day. The air was perfect.
Our Ephesians reading (Ephesians 6:1-20) was about getting putting on the ‘whole armor of God’. While none of us are going to war, we identified with this scripture since it is a fight to live a good and holy life on a daily basis. We agreed that the scripture seemed quite fitting for the start of the semester.
We agreed that we’ll have a good start for the year if we spend as much time thinking about how to spiritually prepare for each day as we do thinking about what to wear. Here are a few verses we spent some time with:
“Stand therefore, and fasten the belt of truth around your waist, and put on the breastplate of righteousness. As shoes for your feet, put on whatever will make you ready to proclaim the Gospel of peace. “
I hope that you will find ways to root yourselves in God’s peace this week by caring for your spiritual needs in the midst of this new academic term. Blessings to you all this first week.
In Peace and Love,
Giulianna+
