Exhortation, August 14

Almost from the beginning of the university in the late Middle Ages, students have formed a community of their own, set off from the surrounding community. Sometimes this division of town and gown erupted in literal battles. As recently as the late 1960s, students in various universities in Europe and the US were involved in pitched street war with police, and the student rebels of the 60s were by no means the first to clash with the authorities.

Here in Moscow, one of our goals as a church is to overcome this division of town and gown, or in our case, church and gown. For the good of you students and also for the good of the church, we want our students – whatever college you attend – integrated into a larger Christian community rather than isolated in their own separate community.

So, this morning I have a double exhortation. To the students: Work hard to break out of your circle of fellow students. Get to know the families in the church; look for opportunities to serve them, not merely to leach off of them. This will not come naturally; it’s the easiest and most comfortable thing in the world for students to keep company only with students. Don’t let that happen.

And to the families: Welcome students into your lives and homes, look for opportunities to serve them and show them hospitality. Don’t let them stay in their comfortable circle of fellow students. Break out of your circle, and break into theirs.