And this commandment we have from Him
"And this commandment we have from Him, that the one who loves God should love his brother also." (1 John 4:21)
Well, as everyone knows by now, Miss Sarah is gone. More are leaving today, and as some may have heard, I decided to return to the sunny "Left Coast", as Kieran loves to refer to it, in a few months. As we were telling Sarah goodbye, I couldn't help but feel that her departure was the end of an important part of my life as a Christian.
When I first arrived at Tyngsborough nearly four years ago, I had never worshipped beyond the boundaries of the Christian family I was raised in. There were very few services I had attended without my mom, brother, or an aunt. uncle, cousin or grandparent. I had also rarely worshipped with people who were my peers. I was faithful, but had never had that faith challenged, nor had the need for true encouragement ever arose.
My first year in Boston flew by though, and I was so blessed to have the support and help of the other "college kids' (as Sara Byrne/Wilson hated being called); young people / twenty-somethings. Having Christian friends was so great. I never had to worry about alcohol being present when we hung out or having to hear swear words or be self-conscious that my beliefs set me apart: we all had the same values and faith. I felt like I had a huge family of older brothers and sisters looking out for me: Ben and Laura, Sean, Benji and Amanda, Sara B., Paula (she's still around, but far from being a single person now!), Toni, Sarah. and others who have since moved on.
That's exactly what these people were for me: older brothers and sisters in Christ. Like siblings, they would tease me when I had to study all the time, regularly give me rides when I needed them, and most importantly, set an example for me to follow. Their love for studying the Word was contagious; the way that each important decision they made was centered on serving the Lord was inspiring; their love for each other and the church was apparent to all around them.
While I know that the body is made up of many members (I Cor. 12:14), this group of my peers played a special role for me during my first and second years here. Though most of them have moved on and I am no longer a new face around Tyngsboro, I hope to carry the lessons they taught me about faith, encouragement, and priorities with me in the years to come. And when I meet someone in the future who is like I was, a young Christian away from home for the first time, I'm going to insist on passing on the favor and giving them many, many rides to services!
Stephanie Claussen