A Message From Pastor Wes

Grace and Peace to all of you as we continue our celebration of the Easter season!

If you are a part of a church tradition that uses the Revised Common Lectionary, you know that last Sunday, we heard a story from Luke in worship where the risen Christ appears among the disciples. This story, from Luke 24, is one of my favorite resurrection accounts because of what Jesus does to prove to those gathered that he is not a ghost.

He eats.

After showing them his hands and his side, speaking to them and allowing them to touch him, Jesus asks for something to eat and is handed a small boiled fish. This might not seem like much, but both biblical scholars and those fascinated with the paranormal agree: ghosts do not eat. They cannot, as they have no stomachs. Jesus, though, fully raised and fully tangible, is hungry and eats, proving to his friends that he is, in fact, alive.

I once heard a bishop (of a non-Lutheran denomination, don't worry!) state that college ministry is only comprised of pizza parties and free shirts. There was no depth and life to it, they claimed, and it was, therefore, a waste of time. But friends, Texas Lutheran University stands in stark contrast to this claim, living into the very principles present in this resurrection account: we are feeding them for sure-pizza and other myriad sundries-and it serves an essential purpose.

It proves they are alive.

Great news, everyone! Our students are not ghosts. They are alive and well and engaged in work that prepares them to go out and change the world. Even if all we did was pizza parties and free shirts-which, quite honestly, is arguably also integral to the TLU experience-what we do here in campus ministry, what we do here at Texas Lutheran, is absolutely and without a doubt worth it.

We prove they are alive, and we celebrate that here they get to live life abundantly.

Thank you for your continued support of our students. The living Christ is made vividly clear through it.