It is an understandable question. College asks much of us. Between classes, assignments, jobs, athletics, internships and relationships, our attention is constantly being pulled in different directions. In a culture that prizes productivity and efficiency, adding one more commitment to the week might even feel like a burden.
Yet perhaps it is precisely because of our busyness that Chapel matters.
Whether we realize it or not, we are always being formed. The rhythms and habits of our daily lives shape not only what we know, but who we become. The endless stream of notifications, deadlines, expectations and information all compete for our attention and affection. We continually face an assault on our personhood through the inundation of tasks and information. Left unchecked, these forces quietly convince us that our worth is measured by our productivity, our achievements, or the approval of others.
The Christian tradition offers a different vision of what it means to be human. It reminds us that we are created in the image of God, loved before we accomplish anything and invited into lives rooted not in performance but in grace. Yet these are not truths we simply learn once and never need again. Scripture repeatedly calls God's people to gather, worship, pray, remember and rest because human beings are shaped by habits and repeated practices. We become what we repeatedly give ourselves to. These practices are not empty rituals or obligations; they are gifts through which God patiently forms us into the people we were created to become.
Chapel is one of those formative practices.
Chapel is not an invitation to leave the world behind for an hour. It is an invitation to bring our whole lives before God. We gather with all the responsibilities, joys, anxieties and questions that fill our days, allowing the story of Scripture, the practice of worship and the presence of community to reorient us toward what is most true. We remember that our identity is received before it is achieved. We remember that we belong to God before we belong to any title, accomplishment or ambition. We remember that our deepest worth is found not in what we produce, but in the love of the One who created us.
Chapel reminds us that our formation is never merely individual. While each of us bears the image of God, we were never meant to image God alone. Throughout Scripture, God is always forming a people. We are invited into a community that worships together, learns together, grieves together and celebrates together. As we encounter one another's stories, perspectives and gifts, we are shaped by God's work in each other's lives. Together, we reflect the image of God more faithfully than any one of us could alone.
Ultimately, Chapel is not about fulfilling a requirement. It is about making space for God to continue the work of transformation. In a culture that is constantly shaping us according to its own values, Chapel offers a rhythm that continually reorients our hearts, renews our minds, and reminds us who we are. We gather not because we have time to spare, but because we cannot afford to forget what we were created for and who we were created by. It is often in these moments of worship, remembrance and community that we become most fully alive.
You may discover that Chapel becomes much more than another thing to do. It may become a place where your faith, character and purpose are shaped during your college journey.
I look forward to seeing you there!
