Won’t I Feel Like An Alien at University?
There’s no proof that aliens exist, but let’s think about it anyway. What can we learn from films about aliens? Not a lot, I’d imagine, would be your answer.
Well, aliens always appear to be strange-looking creatures that would catch your eye as you walked down the street. With their eight green arms and seventeen eyes, we learn aliens don’t exactly ‘fit in’. Aliens also appear to arouse considerable suspicion. Why are they here? Are they good, or are they bad? Are they friend or foe? Can we trust them, or will they stab us in the back? There are only two ways to respond to an alien encounter: befriend or try to kill them. Aliens, with their funny looks and ways of doing things, are different and, as a result, are sure to be misunderstood. But those who befriend them tend to find lots in common with the aliens and realise that they’re not so different from us, while those against them can’t see past their differences.
As you think about starting university as a Christian, maybe you are worried that you’ll look like an alien in Hollywood films. Perhaps you’re not that funny-looking, but in being a Christian, you’re afraid you’ll not ‘fit in’ to the university culture around you? Maybe you’re worried that people on your course will be suspicious of you when they hear you’re a Christian because they’re not sure your views are ‘good’ or ‘safe’? Maybe you’re worried those same people will realise there are only two ways to respond to a Christian: befriend them or kill them, and you don’t quite like that second option. Ok, so thankfully, I’m not sure the response will be quite as extreme as that, but I’m sure you get my point. Will you feel like a misunderstood alien at uni? Thankfully, the Bible has a lot to say about feeling like an alien, or as it more commonly puts it, being in exile. In particular, 1 Peter focuses closely on the theme of exiles. It addresses “elect exiles”. What does this mean? The answer offers both a challenge and hope.
The challenge is this: all Christians are in exile. This world is not our home. That means that, at times, you may feel like a misunderstood alien at university. Perhaps that’s not the answer you wanted me to give you, but I think it’s deeply comforting and reassuring to acknowledge this reality. In his book ‘Evangelism as Exiles’, Elliot Clark puts it very helpfully like this: “When you’re a stranger, when you’re on the outside looking in, you think what you’re experiencing is abnormal. That you yourself are strange. But what 1 Peter says is that this suffering and social exclusion is actually the most normal thing in the world.”
As Christians, we believe that Jesus Christ is a living hope. We believe that he not only died but rose again, ascending to the Father, so that those of us who are found in him also find their home. Home is where the heart is; as Christians, our hearts are wrapped up in Christ’s. This means that in a world that thinks of Jesus as only a good teacher, a dead liar, or a figment of the imagination, we will look strange, and our beliefs, grounded in his teaching, may very well appear dangerous. There is a challenge in living far from home, but there is also hope.
That hope is found in the word ‘elect’. As Christians, we are God’s new covenant people, drawn into the biblical story of God choosing a people for himself to be a blessing to those around them while in exile.
As we faithfully follow Christ, we will stand out as different and strange, and the world may very well hate us. But if, before the creation of the world, God set his covenant love on you, then you know that in the face of whatever trials lie ahead, you can stand firm in his grace and love in the knowledge that his power shields you until you stand before him in glory.
As a Christian at university, you might face being ignored or excluded. You might face ridicule. As Christians in 2022, if we open our mouths with the gospel, we risk others thinking we’re closed-minded or unloving. It would be easy in the face of this to keep our faith private. Some might even tell you that’s where religion belongs, in the unseen, unspoken, unheard parts of life. But if what 1 Peter says is true, if Christ is indeed a living hope, who has gone to prepare a place for us in his glory, then we will rejoice as we face the consequences of boldly living a hope-filled life.
In Christ, we are promised an imperishable, undefiled, and unfading inheritance, kept in heaven for each of us. When we live in light of that truth, sipping the coming joy and glory amid life’s struggles, we will be a people who have hope throughout the challenges. Greater than that, we will not merely be aliens but attractive aliens. Aliens who don’t exactly ‘fit in’, but in an appealing way. Aliens who are friendly and good. So, enjoy uni. Make friends. Enjoy doing life alongside others. But do it knowing that you’re not yet home, so struggles will come. Expect to feel like an outsider at times. As you live your life knowing and loving Christ, you will live it filled with inexpressible joy.
Yes, we’re aliens, but I’m glad that we are.
