Next Friday I will be done with college. Wow. I said it. Next Friday, the Washington DC Semester program ends, and with it, my career as a student at Calvin College comes to a close. I'm not going to write a big reflection on my time at Calvin yet (though that may come later), but I thought maybe it was worth noting.
It's been a fantastic four years at Calvin (well, 3 plus one abroad). It's actually funny to think about the fact that I am where I am today, because I spent most of my life saying I was not going to go to Calvin. When I started visiting colleges and looking at where I wanted to go I mostly ignored Calvin. I had nothing against Calvin, except for the fact that it was close to home and almost my entire family had gone there, so I didn't want to.
Four years later I am so thankful that I chose Calvin, and I have not a single regret about going to Calvin. I've had so many fantastic opportunities, and I know that my time at Calvin will continue to provide me with opportunities through the course of my life.
Again, in a week and a half I'll be done with college. One month from tomorrow I'll be a college graduate. Wow.
Showing posts with label Washington DC. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Washington DC. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Living Our Thanksgiving
This morning in Church our pastor gave a sermon on Matthew 26. He selected a few sections to focus on in following with his recent sermon theme of "All In." He spoke of the woman anointing Jesus' head with expensive perfume, saying she was "All In." He spoke of Judas' betrayal of Jesus for a 30 pieces of silver, saying he was clearly not "All In." He spoke of how we should be "All In" in our lives.
The key image that he presented was the contrast of the Cup of Wrath and the Cup of Thanksgiving. In Isaiah 51, the prophet speaks of the Cup of the Lord's Wrath, which Israel has drunk in its sin.
Rise up, Jerusalem,
you who have drunk from the hand of the LORD
the cup of his wrath,
you who have drained to its dregs
the goblet that makes people stagger. (Isaiah 51:17)
He contrasted that image with the Cup of Thanksgiving in Matthew 26: "Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins." The Cup of Thanksgiving, as the symbol of the blood of the covenant, represents our salvation from sin through Christ's sacrifice on the cross. This is prophesied in Isaiah 51:22, where it says
This is what your Sovereign LORD says,
your God, who defends his people:
“See, I have taken out of your hand
the cup that made you stagger;
from that cup, the goblet of my wrath,
you will never drink again. (Isaiah 51:22)
By offering Himself on the cross for our sins, Jesus bears the Cup of Wrath for us, so that we may never have to drink from that Cup again. Rather, we drink from the Cup of Thanksgiving, which gives us new life, as a new creation, in Christ, free from sin.
Jesus went all in for us. He drank the Cup of Wrath so that we do not have to. We are called to go all in as well. In response to Christ dying for our forgiveness, we are called to live our lives as a servant of Christ, carrying out His will each and every step of the way, and living our lives as examples and vessels of Christ's love, carrying it to all nations and all peoples.
The key image that he presented was the contrast of the Cup of Wrath and the Cup of Thanksgiving. In Isaiah 51, the prophet speaks of the Cup of the Lord's Wrath, which Israel has drunk in its sin.
Rise up, Jerusalem,
you who have drunk from the hand of the LORD
the cup of his wrath,
you who have drained to its dregs
the goblet that makes people stagger. (Isaiah 51:17)
He contrasted that image with the Cup of Thanksgiving in Matthew 26: "Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins." The Cup of Thanksgiving, as the symbol of the blood of the covenant, represents our salvation from sin through Christ's sacrifice on the cross. This is prophesied in Isaiah 51:22, where it says
This is what your Sovereign LORD says,
your God, who defends his people:
“See, I have taken out of your hand
the cup that made you stagger;
from that cup, the goblet of my wrath,
you will never drink again. (Isaiah 51:22)
By offering Himself on the cross for our sins, Jesus bears the Cup of Wrath for us, so that we may never have to drink from that Cup again. Rather, we drink from the Cup of Thanksgiving, which gives us new life, as a new creation, in Christ, free from sin.
Jesus went all in for us. He drank the Cup of Wrath so that we do not have to. We are called to go all in as well. In response to Christ dying for our forgiveness, we are called to live our lives as a servant of Christ, carrying out His will each and every step of the way, and living our lives as examples and vessels of Christ's love, carrying it to all nations and all peoples.
Thursday, April 14, 2011
The Sad State of Nationals Baseball
Last night I went to my first baseball game of the year. We saw the Washington Nationals play the Philadelphia Phillies. It was actually a pretty good game (unexpected because the Phillies have one of the best pitching rotations in MLB history and a pretty good batting lineup, while the Nationals are just plain bad). In the end, the Phillies won 3-2 after the Nationals scored 2 runs in the bottom of the 9th before Roy Halladay struck out the last two hitters on six straight strikes.
On the note of the Phillies being good and the Nats bad...in the starting lineups last night, the Phillies had only one batter hitting below .300. The Nationals on the other hand had not a single batter hitting over .300, had nobody batting as well as the Phillies worst hitter, and were starting a player batting .071. Pathetic.
But I'm actually not here to talk about how great the Phillies are (Halladay commands a game like nobody I've seen before, and with such ease), or how bad the Nationals are, but actually to talk about the sad state of the culture of baseball in DC. Shane Victorino led off for the Phillies last night to start the game and promptly doubled. The crowd went nuts with cheers. Let me say that again, the crowd went nuts with cheers. Now let me remind you that the game was played in DC, home of the Nationals. When Jason Werth jogged out to right field, he was greeted with a chorus of boos and chants of "Worth-less, Worth-less" from the Phillies faithful, every single inning. Unfortunately for him, there were far more Phillies fans present than Nats fans. When Roy Halladay walked off the mound at the end of the 8th inning, he received a standing ovation from the visiting crowd. And every time the Nationals fans tried to make any noise at all they were drowned out by cries of "LET'S GO PHILLIES!"
I know the Nationals aren't a great team, and I was not expecting a sell-out. However, when there are more fans cheering for the visiting team than there are for the home team, that's just sad. Noting that, it's no surprise that the Nationals are so bad, after all, who would want to come and play in a city where being at home is actually a disadvantage.
I love baseball. I will go to almost any baseball game because I love watching it, and I can sit and talk baseball all day long. Thus, I enjoyed the game. However, being a fan of baseball, it was sad to see that this team had so little support from the home crowd. Baseball is America's past-time. DC is America's capital.
Having played baseball and watched baseball for years I know that baseball players, like any other athletes, respond to the support and energy of the crowd. If the crowd is excited and energetic the players get energized and have more fun. Baseball, more so than any other sport, is performed at a higher level when one is having fun. It's a long season. 9 innings is a long game. If you're not having fun you won't play well. But when you have fun, it is so much easier to play well. So get out there DC folk, support your team, and they may someday reward you with good baseball.
On the note of the Phillies being good and the Nats bad...in the starting lineups last night, the Phillies had only one batter hitting below .300. The Nationals on the other hand had not a single batter hitting over .300, had nobody batting as well as the Phillies worst hitter, and were starting a player batting .071. Pathetic.
But I'm actually not here to talk about how great the Phillies are (Halladay commands a game like nobody I've seen before, and with such ease), or how bad the Nationals are, but actually to talk about the sad state of the culture of baseball in DC. Shane Victorino led off for the Phillies last night to start the game and promptly doubled. The crowd went nuts with cheers. Let me say that again, the crowd went nuts with cheers. Now let me remind you that the game was played in DC, home of the Nationals. When Jason Werth jogged out to right field, he was greeted with a chorus of boos and chants of "Worth-less, Worth-less" from the Phillies faithful, every single inning. Unfortunately for him, there were far more Phillies fans present than Nats fans. When Roy Halladay walked off the mound at the end of the 8th inning, he received a standing ovation from the visiting crowd. And every time the Nationals fans tried to make any noise at all they were drowned out by cries of "LET'S GO PHILLIES!"
I know the Nationals aren't a great team, and I was not expecting a sell-out. However, when there are more fans cheering for the visiting team than there are for the home team, that's just sad. Noting that, it's no surprise that the Nationals are so bad, after all, who would want to come and play in a city where being at home is actually a disadvantage.
I love baseball. I will go to almost any baseball game because I love watching it, and I can sit and talk baseball all day long. Thus, I enjoyed the game. However, being a fan of baseball, it was sad to see that this team had so little support from the home crowd. Baseball is America's past-time. DC is America's capital.
Having played baseball and watched baseball for years I know that baseball players, like any other athletes, respond to the support and energy of the crowd. If the crowd is excited and energetic the players get energized and have more fun. Baseball, more so than any other sport, is performed at a higher level when one is having fun. It's a long season. 9 innings is a long game. If you're not having fun you won't play well. But when you have fun, it is so much easier to play well. So get out there DC folk, support your team, and they may someday reward you with good baseball.
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