Welcome for Bible Study
Sun. Clamor.
People. Tables. Bazaar day.
“Hi! We’re Yale’s wildest…more fun than you dreamed possible…free food!”
“How much?”
“Tuesdays and Thursdays midnight to 3.”
Steep price; then again, one is a freshman at Yale only once. So…why not? Carpe diem.
On you go down the aisle of tables: “Sing!” “Dance!” “Write!” “Bible Study!”
Hmmm. That’s a new one—Bible study.
“We get together twice a week…sing, pray, study the Bible.”
Sounds boring. “Food?”
“Yes, both kinds.”
Clamor. People.
They found him on the other side of the lake.
“Rabbi, when did you get here?”
“I tell you the truth, you are looking for me not because you saw miraculous signs but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures….”
“Sir, from now on give us this bread.”
“I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.”
Sun. The heat of noon.
She came to draw water and noticed him beside the well.
“Will you give me a drink?”
“You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?”
(For Jews do not use dishes Samaritans have used.)
“If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.”
“Sir, you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water?”
Being a freshman at Yale is like being a child in a candy store. Everything is here. The problem is deciding what to choose. Some of you will find great success at Yale as scholars, as athletes, some as musicians, and others as leaders, but success comes at a price. Likewise, Jesus said, “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.”
Jesus said, “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.”
While at Yale, you will be challenged beyond what you think you can bear. You will feel the satisfaction of success, and you will feel the sting of defeat. You will learn to think differently. You will see chaos, and you will see order. And you might ask, “What does it all mean?” Jesus said, “Ask and it shall be given to you, seek and you shall find, knock and the door shall be opened unto you.”
We invite you to come and join us in a study of the Scriptures, and we welcome you to Yale.
Prem Thomas ’89, Wayne Detmer ’89