How God has Blessed

After being in Oxford, England for almost a week now, I am amazed at how the Lord has blessed me. As part of a Christian study abroad program, I have been able to meet and hang out with some awesome young people who love God and are committed to academic excellence. Perhaps the biggest blessing this past week, however, has been finding a church where I feel I can really get plugged in, even though I am only in England for five weeks. On a whim, a couple of friends and I decided to go to a late night service Sunday at St. Aldate's, a church that appears on the outside to be traditional Anglican. We had been going full steam all day, and we had already attended two other services at two different churches. My friends and I were tired, and we almost did not go. However, I really felt in my heart that we needed to attend the service, and so, at the last minute, we decided to go ahead and attend. I am so glad we did! St. Aldate's late service is designed for students, and when my friends and I walked in, we found the sanctuary filled with young people talking, praying, and generally preparing themselves to encounter God. The service was mainly charismatic in nature, and we sang well known worship songs by Chris Tomlin and other Christian artists. Additionally, we were able to witness the baptisms of several students who had decided to make a firm stand for Christ. Their testimonies before their baptisms were so inspirational, and the students gave all the glory to God for their deliverance.

After the service, I felt refreshed spiritually, and I marveled at the Lord's goodness in bringing this congregation to my attention. The service was also a reminder of how God is preserving a faithful, vibrant remnant of Britain's next generation in a land where church-going and Christianity is, surprisingly, generally viewed as eccentric or old-fashioned. The young people who attended St. Aldate's that night were genuinely excited about the things of God; and their enthusiasm and passion was extremely moving. This church, sedate and reserved on the outside but burning with passion for Jesus on the inside, is doing their part to spread the Kingdom of God in their circle of influence, and it was a blessing to have been a part of it that night.