At a Glance
Theme:
Covenant
Faculty Speaker:
Matt Schlimm, Ph.D. Candidate in Old Testament at Duke and Arts Village Coordinator for the Duke Youth Academy
Lectionary Texts:
Joshua 24:1-8, 13-25; Psalm 136; 1 Peter 2:1-10; Matthew 26:26-29
Student Kendall Baker washes cars during a service project at Wheels4Hope. |
Student Leenie Muir reads scripture during the
morning plenary session. |
Mentor Ryan Fleenor repairs
a gutter during a service
project at Threshold. |
Student Will Small offers special music during
evening worship. |
Reflections on the Lecture
We learned in our plenary session this morning that covenant may be the most central theme in the Bible, and that covenant is all about loyalty. Matt Schlimm described covenantal loyalty as friendship with the God revealed to us in Jesus Christ. We explored biblical stories of covenants from the rainbow after the great flood to the wine and juice we share when we gather at the Lord’s table. Students learned to understand covenant from both Old and New Testament perspectives, We concluded the session by reflecting on each of the Ten Commandments and making connections to our lives today, such as understanding “not bearing false witness” as a command to truth-telling, including naming Barbie and Barry Bonds as destructive body ideals.
Quotable Quotes
“The story of the bow in the sky (Genesis 9) shows us that God can make something beautiful out of something terrible.”
— Maggie Cupit, during plenary lecture
“Let’s talk about circumcision!”
— Matt Schlimm, during plenary lecture
“God continues to renew his covenant with us – from the blood described as life in Leviticus to Christ as a blood-offering for us in Matthew.”
— Hunter Shelton, during plenary lecture
“We worshipped using our bodies, which I found very cool. Using our bodies is just as important as using our voices to worship God.”
— Taylor Milleson, after his service experience at the Anathoth Community Garden
“Anathoth isn’t a modern club for Christians. It’s a farm, plain and simple. And working in it lets us lift up our efforts to God.”
— David Horton, after his service experience at the Anathoth Community Garden
Other Activities
In our final worship workshop plenary, we talked about the multiple stylistic ways to use the basic pattern of worship. We recalled our most memorable meals and realized the connection between their attributes and those of the Eucharistic meal. This afternoon, we went into the area to serve as an act of worship. Students participated in everything from visiting the elderly in a care center to organizing a warehouse for TROSA, an organization which serves people addicted to drugs by rehabilitating them through dignified work and support. Students also washed cars for Wheels4Hope, an organization which restores old vehicles for underserved communities. Some students got their hands dirty in Anathoth Community Garden, an organic garden and ministry of Cedar Grove UMC. We were led in worship by mentor Paul Kim’s preaching while Rev. Nathan Kirkpatrick presided over Eucharist. Music was provided by student Will Small.
What’s Ahead...
Tomorrow we celebrate Christ’s life through our focus on incarnation. Our morning plenary lecture will be led by Dr. John Utz. Students will have their first chance to start planning to lead a worship service themselves next week, and they will have their second arts village workshop. In the evening, we will enjoy a hospitality meal with Blacknall Presbyterian Church and Urban Hope, and we will have a “high church” worship service led by Fr. Joshua Whitfield.
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Duke Youth Academy
for Christian Formation
The Divinity School,
Duke University
Box 90966,
Durham, N.C. 27708-0966
919-660-3542,
DuYouth@div.Duke.edu |
