by Mari Pizzini–Eppley Auditorium, filling most of its ground seats, was home to choir songs, scripture readings, prayer, and holy communion this past Sunday.
Morningside College’s Homecoming week was a full week of activities, parties, celebrations, and sports wins. Grace United Methodist Church and Morningside capped off the week with a joint worship service.
Pastor Jim Shirbroun and Chaplain Andy Nelson brought a message of “Loving God, Loving Neighbor.” Scripture readings from Matthew and Galatians spoke of God’s commands to love neighbors, while Morningside students spoke about their encounters with neighbors who loved them.
“I was really pleased with how this service went,” Nelson said. “The spirit really moved today.
I especially loved the different takes on [loving God, loving neighbor] and the different angles the reflectors took.”
Elizabeth Roop spoke to the congregation about loving yourself while loving your neighbor.
“God didn’t call us to love ourselves more than our neighbors,” Roop said, “He didn’t call us to love ourselves less than, either. He called us to love ourselves in the same way.”
“Without recognizing that we are loved ourselves, we can’t show that love to other people. Our love of others comes from a place of recognizing that we are beloved too,” Nelson agreed.
Morgan Gerodias, a member of Grace’s young preacher series, spoke about her favorite songs and their meanings.
“These songs remind me to love God no matter what you. They show me that I can be fearless,” Gerodias said.
“The young preacher from Grace did a fantastic job talking about fearlessness and loving God,” Nelson said.
To end the service, the Morningside choirs joined with alumni to sing “Now Let Us from This Table Rise.”
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