October 26, 2016
Volume CXXXVI Issue 18
Tuesday chapel service dedicated to rest
Jose Baeza gives testimony, Dr. Swoboda gives sermon about Sabbath By ELIZABETH SMITH Graphics Editor Georgetown College hosted a chapel service on Oct. 25, 2016. The service began with worship led by Jose Baeza, Meagan Lamb, Afton Curtsinger and Alex Brody. Baeza also shared a short testimony of how he has seen God working through campus recently. Before introducing the service’s guest speaker, Georgetown’s campus minister Bryan Langlands offered a prayer of confession. Langlands explained how confession is something we as Christians can and should do on our own, but he encouraged those attending the service to confess together as they came before the Lord. After incorporating this gospel practice into the service, Langlands introduced Dr. A. J. Swoboda who spoke about the importance of the Sabbath as spiritual practice. Dr. A. J. Swoboda is a pastor, author and professor of systematic theology and biblical studies at George Fox Evangelical Seminary and
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Fuller Theological Seminary. Swoboda introduced the topic by explaining how he wanted to talk about something in the Bible that “literally saved my life.” He provided Exodus 20:8, which says, “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.” But rather than breaking down the meaning or context of the verse, he went into personal application by providing some background on his life experiences. Swoboda explained his early years in ministry by identifying the challenges that come with being a workaholic who is also a church planter. He felt significant stress in his job due to the fact that being a Christian in the pacific northwest is relatively unusual. He said that he worked in portland, the least Christian city in Oregon, which is the least Christian state. After working 85–hour weeks, Swoboda was consistently exhausted. He described how, in the evenings, he would be thinking back over his sermon to the point that he couldn’t sleep. He eventually
became dependent on alcohol. This burden followed him until he read the passage where Jesus refuses the wine offered to him while he hung on the cross. Swoboda said, “Jesus was refusing to endure the cross while numb.” Through this passage, Swoboda realized the grace of God. He recognized Jesus’ motivation in this as an expression of his care. Swoboda went on to describe how caring and loving God is for giving us the Sabbath. “We literally worship the God that created the weekend” he said as he began to apply the greater idea of the Sabbath to college students. He began by making observations that are often overlooked in the story of creation. “The very first day for Adam and Eve wasn’t work; it was rest,” said Swoboda. He said that, before man was ever commanded to work, before any laws or gospels were written, God commanded us to rest. Swoboda’s main point of application for college students in regards to the Sabbath
is to prioritize it. “He did not Freshman Sam Potter said, create you to get As or gradu- “I took away that sometimes ate; he created you to rest for a in a mix of all the papers and whole day.” grades, I forget God.” He recommended that if She continued, “I forget to students don’t see any way to be thankful for all the things set aside an entire day amidst He has created. I forget that he academics or other obligations, doesn’t grade me on my hometo try setting aside a few hours. work but just wants me to be He encouraged us to each close with him. I should try take a few hours out of the and keep the Sabbath so I can week to turn our phones off: stay close to Him and enjoy don’t email any professors, life.” don’t tweet, don’t order books. Swoboda ended his talk with an invitation. He said, “I invite you to believe that Jesus isn’t stupid and that he created us to need rest for a reason.” W h e n a s k e d what she took away from this chapel service about The Georgetonian/ELIZABETH SMITH keeping the Dr. A. J. Swoboda gives sermon during TuesS a b b a t h , day’s chapel service.
Equine Week page 2
Georgetown Equestrian Team competes at UofL page 4
Restaurant review: Wayback Burgers page 6
A discussion of Clinton’s email scandal page 12