But God's Remnant Stands Firm, Deeply Rooted in His Promises
by sadie sasser, ministry fellow at christian union gloria at harvard
The heart of Harvard’s undergraduate campus is called Harvard Yard. Many of the academic lecture halls are situated here, as well as all the first-year student dorms. Here, the towering trees hide the ground from sunlight and old brick buildings reflect the campus's age. And, of course, the entire yard is enclosed by red brick walls.
I recently started reading through the book of Jeremiah. Jeremiah’s call comes early in the book-the first chapter is dedicated to it! I was truly struck by what I read there. God says to Jeremiah that in the place of the fortified city of Jerusalem, who had forsaken the ways of God and would be judged through exile, He would replace Jerusalem with Jeremiah.
"And I, behold, I make you this day a fortified city, an iron pillar, and bronze walls, against the whole land, against the kings of Judah, its officials, its priests, and the people of the land. They will fight against you, but they shall not prevail against you, for I am with you, declares the Lord, to deliver you."
A place that was once dedicated to the Lord and tasked with extending His reign and glory to all had come to forsake and turn against Him. So, Almighty God instated Jeremiah to be himself the fortified city, a person with whom God would dwell and who would speak the words of God. And God is doing the very same thing at Harvard with students in Christian Union Gloria. This university was once committed to training ministers in “Truth for Christ and the Church.” It has abandoned its station, but God is raising up students at this very university to continue the mission once given to Harvard students at large. The walls of Harvard have crumbled, but the walls of God’s people remain strong.
How does a group of forty or so students impact a campus of over seven thousand? The math doesn’t seem to add up, especially considering the turnover that is inherent in the four years of university. Scripture, however, tells us a different story.
Throughout the metanarrative, a remnant continues. There are those who remain faithful to the Lord and continue to follow Him despite cultural circumstances. Experience also tells us a different story. Before God opened the door for me to serve at CU Gloria, I had been a student at Asbury Seminary and was employed there during February 2023, when the “outpouring” (as they called it) occurred. In times of revival, we look for signs of faithfulness in seeking God that help determine what is an authentic move of the Spirit and what is not. And there had been a steady group of people praying together for revival to visit Wilmore again for many years. The renewing and worshipful experience I had in Hughes Auditorium is a testament to the work of the few, who fortified themselves to see a work of God and brought over fifty-thousand people to experience His glory.
Jeremiah 1 states, “And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 'Jeremiah, what do you see?' And I said, 'I see an almond branch.' Then the Lord said to me, 'You have seen well, for I am watching over my word to perform it.'” This beautiful word play in Hebrew uses the similar sounds of “almond” (šāqēḏ) and “watching” (šāqaḏ) to show Jeremiah that whatever God gives Him to do or say, it is God Himself who accomplishes it.
God Himself will fortify Him as a city for His glory, and when Jeremiah experiences conflict, the presence of God will not allow the conflict to cause him to crumble.
The students and faculty of CU Gloria take the almond branch and the fortified city as promises to Harvard in this season- the promises that God will continue to make our students into strong forces that proclaim His glory in the midst of a place that has abandoned Him and that God Himself will watch over His promises to make them come to pass.
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