Jerusalem & Athens Essay Contest

2025 Winner

"Untitled" by Ella Gerrard '25

I have done the impossible. I created the first talking serum: an elixir that makes even the most tight-lipped person talk. The recipe is the following.

In a large pot, combine garlic harvested from the large hills, an onion planted in a row, and oil made of the juice of olives. Nextcomes only the finest tomatoes, pureed and sent through a ritual of salting and herbing. A dash of basil. A dash of oregano. A bit of plant-based milk. And a special ingredient called saccharomyces cerevisiae. Just like that, you have replicated my serum.

Disclaimer: Serve over cooked pasta for best results.

Okay, so maybe I did not invent this mixture myself. My family has always been a “food is love” family. The best gift is sweet,savory, salty, or spicy, and comes in a Tupperware container. Nothing is quite like good food, and nothing is better than sharing that food with others.

We often say “breaking bread” as a way to describe showing love. The phrase is found twice in Acts chapter 2 to describe themembers of the church: “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.”Some of my best conversations, filled with laughter or deep connection, happen around the dinner table. This is a space of incredible love.

At least some of the time.

Almost every night in college, I eat my dinner alone, and honestly, I have made it this way. We have created a bend in culture diverting us away from shared meals. Our breakfasts have been replaced by coffee to-go. A lunch break is just a time to escape from the public. Dinner time has become a nuisance to be drowned out by Netflix or YouTube.

I find one of the hardest parts of this cultural curve is how much we have forgotten how to spend a meal together. Now, when I am invited to dinner—and don’t cancel—I am out of practice. I want the person I am with to fulfill the role of entertainer, and I, the observer.

To truly learn to talk, we must target this exact mindset. We absorb ourselves in a false distance between us and an invisible stage. This is not just the internet's fault—although it plays a part; every classroom, workspace, and church is designed for one person to talk and everyone else to listen. Restaurants and coffee shops now focus on quick in and out. Neighborhoods can be hostile, and it's rare to see people stopping to talk to one another. It is no surprise that we have begun to lose our ability to have dialogue.

This is why I set out to make my special serum. The best way to tear down this illusion of separation is by reclaiming the connection. This is not a spectacular crash, but must be piece by piece. My issue with feeling out of practice would be solved if I simply shared a meal more often.

However, this problem is larger than the frequency of time together or the number of breads broken. My intention is not to return to some fantasy past where things were better, because many of the changes brought by modernity are good. I want us to tear down this barrier without dividing among identities, cultures, races, or abilities. To break bread is to live in “fellowship”. We should strive forfellowship with people who may not look or act like us.

It is vulnerable to share your life with others, especially if those people are very different from you. But the richness far outweighs the fears.

So my house this Friday night. You bring dessert, and I will make dinner. Show up at five thirty and expect to leave at ten. I want nothing more than to talk and listen with you.

Honorable Mention

"Wait, Who's  Ready to Listen? Learning to Talk"  by Aiden de Vries ’26

“Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak.” James 1:19 

Is the first verse that came to mind in response to our theme, “Ready to Listen, Learning to Talk”. Listening and talking are unarguably important elements of human interaction, especially in a Christian community that relies so much on fellowship with one another.

That being stated, I have not been a fan of this year's theme, at least not it’s wording. My issue has been that our theme seems to assume its readers are indeed ready to listen. This feels unrealistically optimistic, and maybe was meant to be interpreted as an ideal that the “should” of James 1:19 suggests, and not a current reality. That is, however, not how I interpreted it on my first read back in the fall.

As the title suggests, my initial reaction after reading it was to doubt the first half: “are we genuinely prepared to listen?” My personal experience, understanding of cultural perceptions, and research makes me adamant to believe we are. I do not think most people feel others are ready to listen; There is a common notion that our culture’s over-use of technology and social media diverts our attention from deliberative exploration to distracting entertainment. And, the amount of content an individual consumes daily makes it impossible for them to ‘listen’ to it all. Research confirms we might not be ready to listen: In a room full of one hundred people, it is likely ninety-six consider themselves good listeners. However, most cannot remember half of what someone just said to them.

Our theme rightly assumes listening should come before talking — the old ‘two ears, one mouth’ saying thataligns with James 1. But, the flip side consequences of our information consumption surge highlight that there is no shortage of those who feel ready to talk and may have skipped the listening part. This, is where I believe I am stuck.

After doubt, my second response to our theme was conviction: “wait, am I ready to listen? Forget learning to talk”. This hesitancy to embrace our theme likely comes from my tendency to feel unequipped to talk and instead be hung up on listening. I worry that I do not have enough to say, or, at least what I have to say will be articulated better by someone else. Our Jerusalem and Athens Forum co-leaders Dr. Brink and Dr. Hevelone-Harper have certainly observed this tendency in how few words I share in our discussions. It is only recently that I have identified this hesitancy withinmyself and begun to recognize some of the deprecating sin that lies in those thought patterns.

To remedy this, and better embrace this year’s theme, I’ve looked to scripture, which has helped tremendously. I never realized how many verses talk about “speaking boldly” about scripture and truth. The following two have been particularly impactful:

“Speak the truth in love” Ephesians 4:15

“The tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark.” James 3:5

Listening and talking are important. Though I struggle with my own reservations about them and our society hasand fosters poor behavior around them, it is our duty as Christians to be ready to listen and approach talking with humility and a willingness to learn. By recognizing and embracing the value this year’s theme has for our community, we, and I, can better
live the way God intended.

Honorable Mention

"Learning to Talk: Let Your Candle Shine " by Sefora Morales '27

Listening and talking are important. Though I struggle with my own reservations about them and our society has and fosters poor behavior around them, it is our duty as Christians to be ready to listen and approach talking with humility and a willingness to learn. By recognizing and embracing the value this year’s theme has for our community, we, and I, can better
live the way God intended. As a student at Gordon, I often feel pressured to share my thoughts or opinions on topics discussed as soon as they are presented. For most of my peers, this seems like an easier task to do, often raising their hands or sharing their ideas in discussion faster than I can process. I love to listen and hear the thoughts of my professors, friends, and classmates. However, I often find myself keeping my ideas to myself out of fear of not being considered a "critical thinker:. This seems contradictory - Shouldn't i want to share my ideas with the world around me?

I come from a culture where everyone is eager to share their "ten cents", making it hard and intimidating to share my own thoughts. Instead, I have used more creative mediums for my own thoughts. As a Christian, this manifested itself through my ability to connect with God in musical worship. As the daughter of immigrant pastors, i quickly learned how to "do worship". For a worship set to flow well, the musicians and vocalist need to be able to listen to each other to play in unison. As a vocalist, i must know how to listen to the melody of others to harmonize well. If not, the entire flow of the song will be disrupted. Learning this helped teach me now to both listen to the voices of those who have gone before me and those around me.

Listening to the voices surrounding me has helped direct my steps, not only musically but also in my personal life. Listening to the voice of God is what brought me to Gordon, telling me this was where i was supposed to be during a chapel service I visited. Now, nearly two years in, I continue to hear God's voice through the worship band i lead, Catacombs.

In some ways, this process has reminded me of the woman with the flow of blood in Luke 8:43-48. She, like me, was used to allowing the voices of those around her to define her place within society. yet she knew something was missing. She longed for something more prompting her to take a step of faith and touch Jesus' garment and receive healing. In the same way, I was missing something. I was not sharing the voice that God has uniquely designed for me with those around me. In my tendency to assume that I did not have anything to share, I neglected to recognize  the power of the Holy Spirit within me. In reality, I was hiding my candle under a basket (Mark 4:21).

This semester, Catacombs has been on tour, worshipping with students across  campus in locations where it has historically taken place over the past 40 years. As a tribute to this student-founded 40 year ministry, we have acoustically worshipped with those who were a part of the ministry 30 years ago as well as with current students. Through this experience, i have been challenged to use the voice, thoughts, and ideas that God designed within me to share with others.

My journey in finding my voice is far from over. Sometimes, I still keep silent in class when I have something to share. But my experience  with Catacombs has pushed me to start learning to use my voice to bring unity and harmony to those around me. I learned that my reluctance  to share my voice limited not only me, but also God's ability to work through me. Now, I'm learning that listening  to the voices of those around us does not mean limiting our own.