Fall Week of Worship: Radiating the Love and Discipleship of Jesus

From October 12 to 16, Pacific Union College held its Fall Week of Worship Service. Gathering students, faculty, and staff in Dauphinee Chapel, Director of Young Growing Leaders and Pastor Aren Rennacker, ’11, delivered a message about radiating love, being a disciple of Christ, and sharing the light from within.

At the first worship service on Monday, Religious Vice President Jacob Duran introduced and welcomed Pastor Rennacker, who began by connecting with students through icebreaker questions and personal anecdotes that sparked laughter and shared stories across the hall.

In line with the week's theme, Pastor Rennacker encouraged and challenged students to be a light, reflecting Jesus's love to one another and to the world as He referred to His followers in Matthew 5:14-16. From a non-Adventist household with a single mother and four children, he explained that after enrolling in an Adventist academy, his church community embraced and loved him.

"We rely on light for our sight, our home, our warmth, and our food, which is why you all chose to go to PUC," Pastor Rennacker said. "Light is fast, powerful, and good– that light is essential to who we are." He explained that carrying this light and following Jesus meant loving Him and His people out loud, choosing mercy over judgment and grace over greed, the core actions that remain central to being a Christian.

He began the second day of worship by explaining that names matter because they reveal identity and tell stories,  just as believers use names and images to highlight how they see God. He also reflected on mispronunciations of his first name, Aren, and the frustration of being misunderstood.

"Sometimes, our image of God gets distorted– sometimes, how we see God shifts, where He becomes a bit more cold and disappointed [in us]," said Pastor Rennacker, noting believers' tendency to see God as a distant boss or sheriff.

Quoting Brennan Manning, who said, "The Christian journey is about discarding distorted images of God," Pastor Rennacker reminded students to hold on to the true image of God: a God who smiles, listens, and loves, and who radiates through Jesus Christ. Pastor Rennacker quoted John 14, where Jesus said, "Anyone who has seen Me has seen The Father," explaining that through Jesus, believers can see The Father's gentleness, patience, empathy, and light.

Describing God as a Heavenly Father, Abba, and a loving parent, Pastor Rennacker brought the audience to the connection between God and Jesus, where God's character is revealed through Jesus's love and kindness, such as when Jesus met the leper and hugged him, knelt before the woman who touched His garment, or stood up for a woman who was to be executed.

"Maybe what God desires is a humble child– not a straight A student or a perfect employee," said Pastor Rennacker, reminding students, staff, and faculty that God asks them to come as they are because they are His children.

Kicking off the third day, Pastor Rennacker began his message with a personal story about a Trader Joe's store that opened two minutes from his home, describing the frustrating parking and crowded aisles. He said, "We assume the very worst of every other person, but reserve grace for ourselves, with obstacles to overcome rather than neighbors to love. Instead of using suspicion, we can choose grace and empathy, seeing the light in our neighbors and radiating community with those around us."

"We often assume the worst in other people because we think that being suspicious makes us wise," said Pastor Rennacker, quoting Sam Leonor, before previewing a video about the Heartsong Church in Memphis, Tennessee, where members of the congregation actively practiced loving their neighbor, and the Memphis Islamic Center, opening up the church building for their Muslim neighbors during the month of Ramadan. A church member in the video described their interactions as "an amazing friendship." Another member said, "I refused to see the light in my neighbor, so my pastor told me to go and read the Gospels."

"Jesus calls us to go and love our neighbor in a world that is hungry for the love of Jesus," said Pastor Rennacker. "The light is not just in you; it is in your neighbor, your roommate, your friend, and even your enemy. In God's kingdom, we are one in Jesus."

On the fourth day, Pastor Rennacker shifted to a more serious topic, starting with a lighthearted story about celebrating his 37th birthday in San Diego with his wife, Paige, when he bought the perfect pair of pants and described the moment as "divine intervention," sparking laughter across the chapel. He followed that story with another: while refueling his car, the fuel pump overfilled the tank, spilling gasoline onto his new pants.

Even after washing them several times, his favorite pair of pants still smelled faintly of fuel. "Life can be so cruel," Pastor Rennacker said, explaining that people can experience both joy and sorrow. Life doesn't have to lean one way or the other, since it has good and bad, but he encouraged the audience to practice a "holy act of resistance" against negativity as it approaches them.

As Matthew 11:30 said, “My yoke is easy, and my burden is light,” Pastor Rennacker emphasized that following Jesus should feel light and freeing, not heavy and burdensome. Bringing light to the weight of the faith believers carry, he encouraged the audience to live in both joy and sorrow, also pointing back to Matthew 26:38, where Jesus said His soul was overwhelmed with sorrow.

“Sometimes, the first step towards healing is the courage to acknowledge the feeling, and maybe it is time to talk with someone about what you are feeling, or to check in on that friend that you know is carrying a lot right now,” he said. “We all feel sorrow. It is part of being human.”

“The way of Jesus is compassion,” Pastor Rennacker said, then previewed 13 times when Jesus chose compassion amid struggle throughout the Gospels. “Compassion is never easy, and compassion is never popular,” he continued, encouraging listeners to show empathy and radiate compassion as believers come together in faith to hold space for community.

Concluding the Week of Worship during Friday night vespers, Pastor Rennacker brought two volunteers from the crowd forward and asked them what would make a good leader. The first student, John John, said, “A good leader would speak with their actions before their words,” and the second student, Bryce, shared, “A good leader would be a good listener.”

After the activity, Pastor Rennacker explained that servant leadership means helping others, stepping out of positions of power, and using that leadership to speak up and give a voice to those who don’t have one. He quoted, “If servanthood is beneath you, leadership is beyond you,” and connected it to his time at PUC as a student, when he learned the true meaning of service. He said, “All it takes is a heart that is brave enough to try,” emphasizing the importance of involvement and passion within one’s community.

“Fulfillment is when the difference you want to see in our world and the work that you are putting your time towards collide; there is no other feeling quite like it,” Pastor Rennacker said. “Sometimes, we all want to know that someone believes in us.”

Turning to the audience, he encouraged listeners to reflect on their mentors, as he did: teachers, pastors, professors, coaches, and chaplains who lived out their calling to pour into the next generation.

“Go and change our world in the only way that you can,” Pastor Rennacker said, “It may not even be through your career. It can be through a side hustle or something you do when you’re off the clock. The very best things are worth working for.”

Pastor Rennacker read the passage of Matthew 25: 20-29 that says, “The Lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your Lord,’” where he left the audience with a final request: to leave an imprint in a bold, brave, and courageous way because they will be fulfilled and rewarded by the Lord.

With this last message, Pastor Rennacker called students to action: radiate their calling by using their God-given gifts and purposes to impact others' lives and make the world a better place.

“I think being on this campus is the perfect place to start that commitment [of courage, purpose, and mission],” Pastor Rennacker concluded. “As you go and lead, don’t do so alone. God bless you as you lead, as you serve, and radiate calling in your life and on this campus.”