By Dawson Aichholz
I have seen that this Advent season, more than any other in my life, has been a season of great longing. This sense of yearning has taken various forms, but I have seen two principal anticipations developing in my life: for my near future and for the return of the Lord Jesus.
As a fellow in the Capital Fellows program, I have had time to slow down and consider what my future entails, including relationships, passions, and talents the Lord has given to me to steward. This time of reflection has led to many possibilities appearing on the horizon. As our first semester comes to a close, we, as a Fellows class, are heading straight for that horizon. This journey can be described as a beautifully complicated mixture of future excitement and sheer panic. And at the same time, the greatest reassurance amidst this amalgamation of emotions is the truth of the consistency and the faithfulness of Christ: “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8).
The second form of longing I have seen myself often reflecting on during this Advent season is the yearning for Jesus to return. In this season of focusing on the incarnation of the Lord Jesus Christ, a profound sense of awaiting is found practically everywhere. Many accounts prior to the cross share of faithful followers of God looking with longing to the arrival of the Messiah - Immanuel. One account of “a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon” tells us of his “waiting for the consolation of Israel” through the arrival of “the Lord’s Christ” (Luke 2:25-26). Like Simeon, all of God’s people longed for the arrival of their Savior into their broken and dark world. On this side of the cross, we, as God’s people, now long for the second arrival of the Lord Jesus. In a world where the Kingdom of God has come but not yet fully arrived, a desperate sense of longing for Jesus to arrive and to commence “making all things new” fills our hearts and minds daily (Revelation 21:5). This cry can be aptly summed up in three words: “Come, Lord Jesus!” (Revelation 22:20).
This Advent season full of longing for the return of Jesus is not devoid of hope. In this time of the already but not yet before Christ returns, we do have a hope and purpose. As ambassadors of Christ, we are called and equipped to usher in the Kingdom of God where He assigns us. Whether in the intelligence community, graduate school, ministry, human trafficking prevention, the Coast Guard, environmental protection, or another field, we have the confidence of the faithfulness of Christ sustaining us. While the future of where we go and what we do as a Fellows class is not fully certain, we do have a multitude of promises that will hold firm until the end, including…
Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.
1 Thessalonians 5:23-24
He will surely do it!
Pictures from the Week
The 2021-2022 Capital Fellows Christmas Dinner!
Shoutout to the Neary family for hosting two stranded fellows in Richmond, Virginia!
The calm before the storm of the White Elephant gift exchange…
The results of the White Elephant gift exchange! (Including a live fish, a stolen tee shirt, and a hunky surfing poster)
Become A Capital Fellow in 2022-23
We are now receiving applications for Season 16 of the Capital Fellows program!
WINTER APPLICATION DEADLINE: JANUARY 15th!
Most fellows work in the marketplace - for companies, nonprofits, government offices. Three Capital Fellows work at our church each year as well. For these roles, we are looking for a worship fellow, a children's ministry fellow, and a missions fellow. These are special Capital Fellows opportunities because you are not only paid a salary, but also your Capital Fellows program fees are covered as well!
The Season 16 program year runs from late August 2022 through mid-May 2023. If you are a college senior or recent graduate - or know someone that is - we would love to hear from you!
Pray for the Capital Fellows
Thank you for praying for the Capital Fellows each week!
The Capital Fellows are finishing up the fall semester this week and heading home for a well-deserved Christmas break! They will be finishing up final papers for their seminary courses, packing up their stuff, and heading home over the coming days. Please be in prayer for them as they focus their attention on writing and finishing well. Please pray for them as they drive or fly home - for safety and good health. Finally, please pray that this Christmas would be uniquely special for them as the reflect on the person of Jesus Christ in new ways, informed by the first semester of their Capital Fellows year.
Want to pray for the Capital Fellows throughout the year? Download this handy prayer guide for your phone or tablet.
Benefits of The Fellows Initiative
You probably already know that Capital Fellows is one of 32 fellows programs in The Fellows Initiative network. Capital Fellows benefit from our affiliation with The Fellows Initiative in many ways. One of those ways is that all Capital Fellows alumni receive a 33% tuition discount at Reformed Theological Seminary for 5 years. For more information, please contact us.
If you know a church in the US or Canada that would benefit from joining The Fellows Initiative by launching a new fellows program. Please contact TFI by visiting their website.
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