Christ-exalting, meditative, encouraging, motivating. Friday’s Student Body chapel at 11 a.m. in Founder’s Memorial Amphitorium will be all these things and more, said men’s chaplain Kyle Grant.
The chapel service’s theme of “Praise” can be summed up in the phrase, “Now unto Him,” derived from two specific Scripture passages on praise: Ephesians 3:20 and Jude 1:24. When choosing this theme, Student Leadership Council chaplains Kyle Grant and Kate Chapin sifted through past themes and decided they liked themes that were motivating and encouraging to the student body.
“We’re going to really work on glorifying Christ and then connecting that to how we live our daily lives,” said Grant, who will be presenting the message. “I want [the students] walking away in complete awe of what God has done for them through Christ and allow that to motivate how they live their lives.”
The message will follow a few congregational hymns and some special music presented by a small vocal ensemble, and its presentation will be unique: Grant will not be using a pulpit.
The idea behind using an empty stage is to help the students engage in the lesson by creating a visual representation of what it means to have nothing between yourself and God.
“Even though it’s a message, I want it to feel interactive,” Grant said. “I think it will be especially effective because our generation really desires transparency. I want to allow the Word to speak for itself.”
Grant will begin by working through Ephesians 3 and transition into Jude 1.
The congregational songs, also praise-focused, will include “You Are the Christ” and “Before the Throne of God.” Grant said the primary focus will be on congregational worship. “We want to bring a corporate worship philosophy to Student Body Chapel,” he said.
The goal of the service is to encourage students through praising our great God. “Our primary motive is for it to not only be encouraging, but also spiritually inspirational,” Grant said. “I’m just praying that the students are encouraged by the power of the Gospel, and that they see how it really does affect every area of our lives.”
