The Good Work of Student Development (Revisited)

Recently I was asked to speak at the national conference for the Association for Christians in Student Development (ACSD). The organizers asked me to give a theological account for the work of student development and to show how the themes of the conference connected to the good work of student life. Here is the final installment of the six talks I gave on June 10-13. 

Session 6         The Good Work of Student Development

 

I’d like to thank Dr. Kristy Morgan, Dr. Steve Conn, the LETU Student Life team, and the executive team of ACSD for letting me be a part of this wonderful conference. Thank you for letting me share in your life and your work. It has been so enriching to learn more about what you do. I would also like to give thanks to those of you who have engaged with me these past four days—for the hospitality that you have shown me through your attentiveness, which is perhaps the greatest gift we can give to one another.  

 Over the past four days we have been talking about the good work of student development. I hope that you have been encouraged as we have reflected on this work, for it is indeed good! In the devotionals each day, I have tried to help us see how the good work of student development is integrally connected to Jesus Christ and his ongoing work through us for the life of the world.

On Monday, I riffed off of Dr Morgan’s opening remarks. She said that the work of student life is ‘joining with God in His work of restoration, redemption, and reconciliation’. I wanted to emphasize this point. Often, we are tempted to think of the Christian life as if Christ simply came to teach us a few things we needed to know, and then to die for our sins so that we can be forgiven of our sins. But what God has called us to is much bigger than that, much greater than that. We have been united to the resurrected and ascended Jesus Christ, who continues his work through us by the empowering of the Spirit. We have been invited to participate with him in bring healing, in gathering people to belong, to find a home in God.

 On Tuesday, I reminded us that if we are going to take up this invitation it means we have to learn how to pay attention, to be attentive to what Christ is doing in us, and through us, and around us, and before us. When we do that, when we are attentive to what God is doing in this world, we come to see that he is extending his ministry of reconciliation through us—making his appeal through us. And when we do that, we get called into the messiness of all kinds of broken relationships—both individual and corporate. We are called to the good work of love in public, justice.

 On Wednesday, we talked about the good work of identity formation. Who am I? What am I here for? I am here to discern the will of God. We are here to help others discern God’s will for their lives. But this good word is seen as a threat in our conforming age. Through community, through shared life together we learn, however, that conforming our lives to the work of God is not only good, but also beautiful.

 And today we reflected on the good work of hospitality. We were reminded that as we grow in our identity as followers of Jesus we come to see more clearly that we are part of one, big, diverse family of God. When we pay attention to God and what he is up to in the world, we are challenged to reimagine what we mean by the word “we”; and as that imagination is formed, we come to see that we are all guests in one way or another, called to use our gifts to enrich and bless others.

 This afternoon Dr Coppinger has reminded us that in all our talk about good work, in all our talk about how our work connects with the work of Jesus Christ, we must never forget that God is not just at work through us, before us, and around us. He is also, and perhaps primarily, at work in us. Surrender and trust. This is our good work. Trusting that God is the ultimate author of our stories; surrendering our agenda for his itinerary. Trusting that his plan for us, even if it is not what we would have for ourselves, is the best. He has a race marked out for us. We don’t mark it our for ourselves.

 As Paul reminds us in Ephesians 2.4-10, we have been made alive with Christ. We are his workmanship, (lit. in Greek, his building project), created for good works which he has prepared for us that we might walk in them. I hope that this conference has given you a renewed desire to walk in the good works that Christ has prepared for you as you orient your life around his work.

Final Benediction and Prayer

 

The LORD will fulfill his purpose for you;

your steadfast love, O LORD, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands.

(Psa 138.8)