Christ on Campus: Higher Things Through the Eyes of a CCV

By Alayna Brandt

As I sit here looking at my view of Lake Michigan from my dorm room at Concordia Wisconsin, all I have left to remember of the From Above conference at Purdue is my “Kiss Me I’m Lutheran” pin, a Fort Wayne Seminary bag, and great memories. This was my first year as a College Conference Volunteer (CCV). Having previously attended two Higher Things conferences, I knew the routine, but was anxious to see how the process worked from the inside. I was surprised by the amount of planning that went into each activity and service. Whether we were packing green bags full of HT magazines or running around the quad hiding Easter eggs, it was the highlight of my summer. As a CCV I was able to reconnect with old friends from past conferences and make new ones. People I met years ago at Higher Things have now turned into classmates, rival athletes and best friends.

Regardless of how many times the CCVs got to cut in the lunch line, there was much more to the week than fun adventures. I had the opportunity to worship Christ while being surrounded by other young Lutherans.

You see, I constantly buy into the lies of the world that I have to be the smartest or thinnest. I often rely on myself during times of temptation. I fail to trust in God’s plan for my life and constantly question whether I am pursuing the correct major, relationship, or life goals. But all of these sinful habits remind me of my need for the Gospel. Because of their focus on Word and Sacrament, Higher Things conferences never fail to nourish my faith. Through the speakers, Divine Service and the Lord’s Supper, Higher Things reminded me that no matter what faults I find in myself, God sees me as a redeemed child of God, full of potential and washed in the blood of Christ. I was reminded repeatedly throughout the week about the love and forgiveness of sins that is given to me from above in my baptism and Holy Communion. From Confession and Absolution to the closing hymn, Christ crucified for my sins was boldly preached to me and the rest of the redeemed sinners that week at From Above.

Higher Things also reminds me that I am not the only confessional Lutheran teenager out there. Many people think that young adults cannot handle the liturgy or don’t care to. But as a teenager, I say we can and we actually want to handle it! Satan uses the world to throw so many distractions at us. Social media tempts us to break the Eighth or Ninth Commandment by gossiping about or coveting what our friends are posting about their lives. We don’t have time to read the newspaper or even our textbooks so we turn to 140-character tweets and Cliff Notes for information. Teenagers are saturated with entertainment. By the time my day is done, the last place where I want to be entertained is in God’s house. That is why I find the liturgy and hymnody so refreshing and comforting. None of it is based on fleeting, earthly emotions like everything else I am used to. Instead it relies on God’s almighty Word which is “living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword,” (Hebrews 4:12).

Many often consider teenagers too young to understand the words of the Te Deum. Some think we’d rather be entertained by guitar solos and flashing lights and that we are unable to appreciate value of the sweet words found in hymns such as “Sing, My Tongue, the Glorious Battle.” But God’s Word says in Hebrews 5:13-14, “Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.” Teenagers can handle more. With instruction and guidance from our pastors, professors and teachers, we can understand and appreciate the Book of Concord. We enjoy canticles and the Gloria in Excelsis. We are daring to be Lutheran! God instructs us to grow in our faith. I Corinthians 13:11 says “When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me.” Putting behind those childish ways can only be done by the careful study of God’s Word. Higher Things gives young adults this opportunity through daily worship and learning. It increases our confidence in our ability to defend and share the Good News. Above all, teenagers, along with the whole company of believers, are reminded of their salvation given to them from above by Christ’s death and resurrection.

Matins is still floating around in my head and I’m already making plans to meet up with the new friends I’ve met. I’ve been able to impress my family, friends, strangers and cats by my extensive knowledge of dead languages, which now, along with the Latin phrase, Coram Deo, has expanded to include anothen, the Greek word meaning from above. While memories of this past From Above conference may fade, God’s Word remains steadfast, no matter the circumstances. “Faithful cross, true sign of triumph, be for all the noblest tree; none in foliage, none in blossom, none in fruit your equal be; symbol of the world’s redemption, for your burden makes us free.” LSB 454.

Alayna Brandt is a junior at Concordia University Wisconsin where she is studying Lutheran elementary education with minors in English and theology. She has fierce Falcon pride, played CUW lacrosse and channels her flair for dramatics into the theater program. She loves cats, Kopp’s ice cream, Matins, and the comforting truth of Proverbs 19:21. She can be reached at alaynajoy24@gmail.com.