Resurrected, Reigning and Rhyming
There was a word called ‘Resurrection’,
Whose stain did spread like an infection,
Students were amused,
Their brains confused,
By Phil Jensen’s methodical questions.
Such was last week at MYC, or Mid Year Conference. About 90 ECUers spent five days at Merroo with 300 other Christian university students, learning together from God’s word about the Resurrection.
It was a fantastic week. Bright and early on Monday morning, hordes of students piled into cars to begin the trek to Kurrajong. Our trip was made all the more interesting and enjoyable by an endless supply of Freddos and Smarties, and a street directory which bore no resemblance to the roads on which we travelled…
Having stumbled upon the conference site, our week began. It was a busy week of studies, seminars and sessions as well as free time, food, and fellowship. (Yes, I like alliteration - I study education.)
Because the theme of the week was Resurrection, the Bible talks and seminars focussed on this. Phillip Jensen gave the talks each evening about the resurrection we as Christians experience. He explained that as Christians, we have been raised with Christ and now live in two ages- both on earth as well as in heaven. I was challenged throughout the week to live the ‘resurrection life’. Here and now. I was challenged to put to death sin in my life and put on the new self, in Christ’s likeness. Phillip showed us from the Bible that because Jesus died and is now ruling the world, we have been raised with him and we also reign with him. I was amazed to discover this
The seminars focussed on Jesus’ resurrection - its place in the Bible in both the Old and New Testaments, and what it means for Jesus being the Son of Man, the great High Priest and the Christ. They were huge ideas to try to grasp. The copious amounts of sugar we devoured in seminars did help significantly. And while it took a lot of thinking and learning to get through them, the seminars really taught me a lot about the importance and centrality of the resurrection to the gospel.
We spent time each day in small Bible study groups, together reading and thinking through the book of Colossians. It was great to read the Bible for ourselves, learning skills in working out what it says and especially how to apply it to our lives.
But MYC was much more than this. Known to many as Meet Your Companion, it is also simply a great week of being together as God’s people. Mealtimes throughout the week were great opportunities for getting to know others better, encouraging each other, and singing ‘Happy Birthday’ en masse to people you’d never met. There was plenty of free time to play frisbee, chase sheep, drink coffee, risk your life in Jungle Speed, sit by the fire and generally enjoy yourself. The ongoing limerick competition was also a source of great amusement!
MYC is really an awesome week for uni students. It is a chance to really immerse yourself in God’s word together with his people, to learn from other Christians, to encourage and to be encouraged, and to be challenged about how we are to live godly lives. If you’ve not been before, I would really encourage you to come along next year.
By Hannah Blake
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