Gator Wesley

Congratulations, everybody! You have made it to the end of another semester. It has been 16 weeks since classes began back on August 24, and I encourage you to take a moment and reflect on what this semester has been like for you… Go ahead, reflect…

For some of you, this was your very first semester of college, which means 16 weeks ago, you were just moving away from home probably for the first time. Perhaps this was the first time you didn’t have to check in with mom and dad everyday or the first time you weren’t around your old group of friends. Perhaps this was the first time you really had to figure out what to eat plus-or-minus 3 meals a day. You also maybe had the power to decide if you would get up for church or not for the first time in a while. Think about how much life has changed for you and how much you have grown.

For some of you, this is either your final semester, or the spring will bring the end of your academic career at UF. The semester probably started like every other one. You have in the back of your mind that you’ll be graduating, but it still feels sort of the same as it always has. But now, as you walk on campus for the last of your exams, as you have gone to your last Gator football game, and as you grab a final quick lunch at the Union, what are you feeling and thinking? How far has God brought you while at UF? What does God have for you next?

For the rest of you, it seems pretty much business-as-usual. You’ve been here before, and you’ll be coming back for more. This long stretch that is your intervening years at college can take on so many different tones. Perhaps you cannot wait to get out, or perhaps you’re the opposite, and you are desperately looking for a second or third major to push back your looming graduation. This is also a time that you may struggle with boredom. You’re into your core classes, so pretty much every class has a similar set up and scope of work. You’re starting to see the same people, do the same things, go to the same places, and if you’re someone who likes a little more variety, this can be a challenge. Perhaps you can reflect on why God has called you to do what you’re doing and what measure of self control, patience, and perseverance it will require to push through to the end. Perhaps you’re really starting to come into your own, hitting your groove, and you can offer a prayer of thanks for the sense of peace you feel.

For all of us, this semester has held its ups and downs. We have had things to celebrate, and we have had things that make us smile. We have also had things to mourn and things that have frustrated us to no end. But through it all, we have remained together as a community, bound by our common commitment to worship. This year in worship, we were challenged by the book of James to make our faith real by truly living into it. We were comforted by the book of Lamentations, learning that we can truly be open and honest with God- and by playing in the mud. The reality is, we worship as a community together in all that we do. We worship through our service to the L’Arche community and to the St. Francis House. We worship through our fellowship at tailgating, game nights, and events like Winter Ball. We worship when we answer each other’s phone calls and Facebook messages and Tweets. It truly has been a pleasure to be in worship with you this semester.

We want you all to know that we are praying for you. We hope that you have an incredibly merry Christmas and a happy new year. We are so thankful for the opportunity to be in ministry with you, and we look forward to what God has in store for us moving forward!