Brent Corbin, former OURUF student and RUF intern, was ordained this evening and installed as the campus minister for RUF at the University of Tulsa.
Now, some of you who know me might be aware that I get emotionally nostalgic over things on a pretty consistent basis. While this has certainly proved true during movies, concerts (some of you remember the JMayer debacle of Spring '10), stage performances, conversations (yeah...sorry about that... you know who you are), one-on-ones with Doug (this is true almost like clockwork), and football games (Josh Voth, feel free to make comments about the OU-Florida crisis of faith, as I already know you want to), I think that this tendency of mine has also been known to be present when I notice things that I find particularly beautiful about Christ and His Church.
In fact, some of you have even noticed that I sometimes find life happenings to be so profound that they are as potent to me as quality sermon illustrations -- and have in recent months begun to (possibly over)use the phrase "This is the Gospel" when such events take place and move me.
But the thing is, I love to acknowledge beautiful things as being beautiful. I think it's only fair and right that we do that. And for some reason, I have found that I often express this acknowledgment of beauty by shedding a few tears in its honor. And so I cry at weddings. I cry at concerts. And I cry during communion. Despite this outward display of emotion, these are some of my favorite things to participate in!
Tonight's service was a different kind of ceremony than I had been able to participate in before. I've seen baptisms before, where believers dedicate themselves and their families to God and his service. I've seen weddings before, where two people come together in love and join their lives to one another. Tonight's service was different than each of these, of course, but it shared certain elements and a certain sense of holiness and beauty that was attractive in its own way.
It was exciting to see leaders in the church from around the state come together to welcome a new leader to their team. It was beautiful to be reminded of the work of the Lord in Brent's life and to pray for that work to continue and extend to the community he was being called to serve. It was sobering to remember that the church and its leaders and fallen and broken, but that the Lord can use even broken vessels to accomplish his work. It was encouraging to see the community of churches and students from Tulsa and the university hopeful for a future that will bring healing and restoration to a ministry that has seen its fair share of inconsistencies and devastation. It was moving to see a man come before the congregation and pronounce his first benediction with a spirit of humility and tearful joy.
The church is broken, and campus ministries are no exception to this, of course. There is a Messiah who has come to redeem us in our brokenness. And not only does he call us to himself and free us from our captivity, but he then brings us together in relationship with one another and calls us to serve one another and to bring glory to him through worship and the teaching and hearing of his word. We serve a good, good God. And if anything should bring tears to your eyes, it is that he has been, is, and will be good to you.
Hallelujah.
