May 1, 2025

As the school year ends, it’s easy to get caught up in the flurry of activities that happen right before summer. Last-minute tests, homework, finals, or more fun things like club initiations or end-of-year parties all tend to steal our attention away from what should be our main focus - our relationship with God. That’s why spiritual emphasis week is such a wonderful thing for students at Covenant to be a part of and reflect on. 

This year, the week was led by Trevor Anderson  and his chapels were focused on the central theme that Jesus is better. He spent each day discussing different core reasons why Jesus is greater than anything this world has to offer.

DAY ONE

On the first day of chapels, Trevor taught from John 4:4-10 and emphasized that Jesus is better because in Him we belong completely. Trevor talked about how the Samaritan woman was isolated and no longer welcome in her community. Jesus came and showed her love, he showed her that in Him, she has a place to belong and someone to become. Trevor made two main points, the first being that Jesus satisfies our craving to belong by making us children of God and teaching us who we truly are. As believers, our identity is in Christ and in Him alone we have life. Trevor emphasized Jesus’ love for us and how he has pursued us and deeply loves us, even to the point of death on the cross. He then talked about how once we belong to Jesus, He sends us out to make more disciples. After hearing about who Jesus truly was, the Samaritan woman went out in her community and shared it with them. Like her, we are called to communicate the Gospel by our actions and words, and even when it might be hard, we need to be bold and break social barriers to share the truth with others. Jesus has met our greatest need; he saved us from our sin and gave us our true identity, and we need to share that with others because of our love for Christ.

DAY TWO

On day two, Trevor continued to teach from John 4:10-15, which talks about Jesus’ conversation with the Samaritan woman. Jesus reveals to the woman that He is the Messiah and that he is the only way to eternal life. Just as the Samaritan woman was called to eternal life through Jesus, we are called by God to believe in Jesus alone. Trevor connected this truth back to the central theme by stating that “Jesus is better because the call to believe is met by Himself.” He expanded on this statement through two points:

•  Jesus satisfies our spiritual thirst and hunger

• Through His call, He promises us eternal life

Because Jesus is the “living water” like verse 10 says, he is the only one who can satisfy the emptiness in our lives and the only one who can save us. When we are saved by Christ, we are given a “spring of water welling up to eternal life” (John 4:14). We must put our faith in Christ to save us and he will grant us eternal life and satisfy us completely.

DAY THREE

Day three was all about how Jesus is better because only in Him do we become who we were created to be. Trevor talked about how we are in need of relationships with our Creator and others. These relationships are important because they help form who we are becoming. We need to make sure that we are being transformed by Christ and His Word and not conformed to the world (Romans 12:2). When we put our faith in Jesus, pursue Him and are formed by Him, we become who we were made to be, disciples and disciple makers. To be disciples, we must submit ourselves to the ways of Jesus and die to ourselves. Trevor listed practical and important ways to do this, like spending thoughtful time in Scripture, praying constantly, taking time to serve God in the church, your city, or other areas, and being in the community of God by surrounding yourself with other believers. On top of being called to personally follow Christ, we must also point others to follow Christ and set an example for them. We have to do this by sharing the Gospel with unbelievers, intentionally interacting with others and discipling them. Trevor made the point that Jesus has invited us to be part of the work of the kingdom of God, so we must accept that invitation and, through the Holy Spirit, go out and be diligent disciples who make disciples. 

Our lives are to be lived with the foundation that Jesus is better - He loves us, He died to save us, He gives us eternal life, and He has enabled us to live our lives with a purpose. As believers, we must follow after Him with all our hearts, looking to Him for satisfaction and hope.