(Photo Credit: Cora Masar)
By Cora Masar
Why does Grace College cancel day classes once a semester? To give students the opportunity to devote themselves to worship.
This tradition is called Day of Worship, and on Tuesday, April 16, students attended chapel and dove deep into what it means to be made in the image of God.
The morning started off with some student-favorite worship songs such as “Honey in the Rock” and “I Thank God.”
President Drew Flamm then introduced the topic of the day, telling students that the event would focus on learning what it means to be an image bearer of Christ.
“Your value is found in the reflection of our Creator,” Flamm said.
Flamm then introduced the two key speakers for the morning, Missie and Duce Branch. Missie Branch, who holds a master’s degree in ethics, shared a message based on Acts 3. She focused on the story of the lame beggar. She talked about how the lame beggar was made in the image of God and that he had worth, despite how his culture might have viewed him.
“We need to learn how to recognize the divine imprint in everyone,” Branch said.
She encouraged students to work on creating better community and having love for all people, for all people are created in the image of God.
“You have value and worth. It’s built in,” Branch said.
After Branch’s message, chapel coordinator Addy Norton introduced an activity for students. With the help of a drawing tutorial by student Allison Mroczek, students drew a picture of the person sitting next to them.
Students laughed and tried their best to get the image of their friends down on the page as Norton explained how these small images are reminders that we are all images of our creators, to be loved and cared for like works of art. Students took time to think through and share ways they might have wronged their neighbors and how they might live differently, keeping the image of God in mind.
Following this, Duce Branch, a preacher and hip-hop artist, talked about the temptation of Christ, examining the story through the lens of how Christ set a perfect example of what it means to be an image-bearer.
“The image of God is God’s way of saying, ‘Look like me, be like me,’” Branch emphasized.
He warned students to beware of the ways Satan can tempt them into choosing not to live as image bearers and encouraged students to trust wholly in God’s will and God’s way.
“Don’t manipulate God to get God to do His will your way,” he said.
Student Reagan Means then shared that being an image bearer extends into vocation, and she based her message on Matthew 5-7. Finally, the chapel band performed two more songs as students raised their hands in worship.
The Sounding Board 