On Friday, Apr. 2, AUSA and Proximity collaborated to commemorate the sacrifice of Jesus Christ about 2,000 years ago. Dubbed Glow Vespers, the venue featured low lighting in Johnson Gym and glow sticks to create a glowing garden-like ambiance. Each segment of the night focused on assuming a mindset of prayer. The acronym P.R.A.Y., meaning Praise, Repent, Ask and Yield, was used to split the program into 5 segments, each one having its own scripture reading and 5 minutes carved out so that students could pray.
For the Praise section, students sang songs. The Repent section reminded students that God offers help in turning from sinful ways. During this time, students were encouraged to walk around Johnson Gym where there were two stations. The first station, the paint wall, was available for students who wanted to paint how they felt about Jesus’s sacrifice. The second station was a prayer station. Students were invited to write their prayer requests on sticky notes and pin them to the string lights on the wall and take a prayer request that was already stuck to the wall to pray over.
Next, the section Ask was introduced. In this section students were encouraged to share with each other what requests they had for Jesus. After Ask, the last section was Yield. Students discussed how they could let Jesus guide their lives and how they could see growth in their spiritual journeys.
Rael Kim (sophomore, biology) said that Glow Vespers opened her eyes to a new understanding of Easter. “Before the Glow Vespers, I really did not resonate with Easter, since it is not a holiday that is widely celebrated in the SDA community,” she shared. “However, the Glow Vespers allowed me to resonate more about the core purpose of Easter celebration, which is to remember Jesus’s sacrifice on the cross for His people. The amazing experiences that I had with my friends at the event truly allowed me to remember God's endless love and reflect on my personal relationship with God.”
The structure and themes of the night allowed students to contemplate their spiritual lives and the importance for Christ’s sacrifice. Another student, Dongchan Kim (junior, religion), commented, “Glow vespers had various impacts on my personal spiritual life. Through Glow vespers, I was able to communicate with God through prayers and it was a joy to pray for one another in a group.”
Seth Carroll (junior, medical lab sciences) shared, “The aspect of prayer in particular was what really impressed me. At Jesus’ weakest moment in Gethsemane, He turned to prayer for help. This reminds me of how much more I can incorporate prayer in my life.” Prayer and connecting with the father helped Jesus fulfill his mission to save mankind, so we know for sure that prayer can impact our lives today.
The Student Movement is the official student newspaper of Andrews University. Opinions expressed in the Student Movement are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors, Andrews University or the Seventh-day Adventist church.