By Mike Hoffman, Graceland University campus minister
For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters, only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for self-indulgence, but through love become enslaved to one another. For the whole law is summed up in a single commandment, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
A few years ago, I walked into the Swarm, the on-campus restaurant at Graceland University. Next to me was a table with four students. No one was speaking—all were looking at their phones while mindlessly eating. I wondered about how our phones and the draw of social media have changed who we are, how we relate, and even how we love.
As campus minister I have seen students struggle with relationships and with theology. Their theological filters are often down, absorbing messages from music and media which are lodged in the understanding that body and spirit are somehow separated, usually with the spirit as “good” and the body as “bad” or even evil. In the layers of language and with filters down, it is easy to hear and absorb things that really might not be what we want to believe.
That experience led me to teach a class (informally) on campus I call “Defense against the Dark Arts.” Some of you may recognize the reference to Harry Potter. We didn’t really consider “dark arts”; we looked at the underlying theology behind media messages.
Concepts like “original blessing” (compared to “original sin”) transformed my understanding of how the body and spirit come together in our beings, our souls, and how both can be good.
When we live out the Enduring Principle Worth of All Persons, no body is left out. When we love others as ourselves, we lay down our words as weapons and understand we are called to love every body. We are free to care for others and treat them as they want to be treated.
Caught up in the idea of “loving our neighbor as ourselves” is the profound concept that our salvation is found in community. While Galatians 5:15 says, “If, however, you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another,” it might be better to say, “Care and love one another, so we can build each other up.”
If our acts of love are limited to only those at our table and not our wider neighborhood, or if we are distracted and drawn away from our first love by apathy, screens, and hidden messages, may we find the strength to return to what matters most within our sacred community.
Prayer Phrase
“Rejoice in hope; be patient in affliction; persevere in prayer” (Romans 12:12).
Hope in the Present
Take a moment to pause and reflect on where hope is present in your life. Write down three things that give you hope. It could be a kind word from a friend, the warmth of the sun, or progress toward a goal. If you are facing difficulties, gently remind yourself: “Even now, hope is present. Even now, something new is possible.” Express gratitude for this hope knowing that each day is an opportunity for renewal.
Today’s Prayer for Peace
Engage in a daily practice of praying for peace in our world. Click here to read today’s prayer and be part of this practice of peace.