Inaugural Theme

 

                                 ¹A shoot shall come out of the stock of Jesse,
                                   and a branch shall grow out of his roots.
                                 ²The spirit of the LORD shall rest on him,
                                   the spirit of wisdom and understanding,
                                   the spirit of counsel and might,
                                   the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD.
                                                       -- Isaiah 11:1-2 (NRSV)


In this text, the prophet Isaiah imagines a future in which the Messiah or Christ comes as an educator filled with wisdom and wonder on behalf of those who lack even the basics of life, like a good education. As a Christ-centered community, I hope Goshen College will always be at the forefront of helping to fulfill Isaiah's promised future by following Christ in intellectual inquiry, while maintaining a deep reverence for God, in order to serve others.