Christ on Campus

Christ on Campus

The Installation of the Rev. Christopher Durham - 9/21/2025

Jeremiah 15:19-21, 1 Timothy 4:12-16, Luke 24:44-49a

Rev. Christopher W. Brademeyer – St. John’s Lutheran Church of Oakes, ND

That portion from God’s holy Word for consideration this morning is our Epistle lesson from the first Epistle to St. Timothy in the fourth chapter with special emphasis on verse sixteen which reads as follows:

“ Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers.”[1]

Thus far the Scriptures.

In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

 Introduction

The installation of a pastor is always a day of joy, but today’s occasion has a unique flavor. Here at the University of North Dakota, we are setting apart a servant of Christ to minister in one of the most challenging and most fruitful fields: the university campus. It is here that young men and women are being trained for their economic vocations, questions of life and meaning are raised with intensity, and future families will be formed. Today, God places His man in this place, not with the wisdom of the world, but with the Word of Christ, crucified and risen to come to these young men and women.

The Duties of the Campus Pastor

The Lord speaks to Jeremiah: “If you utter what is precious, and not what is worthless, you shall be as my mouth.”[2] That is the task of every pastor: to be the mouth of God, speaking not his own ideas, not the shifting winds of philosophy or politics, but the clear Word of God. This is the long and short of the pastoral ministry. You, Pastor Durham, are to be faithful to Christ, to put His wisdom in your mind, His Words in your ears, and then be ready and able to have them on your tongue.

And Paul exhorts young pastor Timothy, “Devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching… Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching.”[3] The duties of the campus pastor are no different than those of every undershepherd of Christ’s flock. You are to be about the business of preaching the Gospel, administering the Sacraments, calling sinners to repentance, absolving the penitent, catechizing those in need of instruction, comforting the afflicted, and guarding the sheep from the wolves.

But the campus setting sharpens all of this. Here, many students are far from home, some are away from their families and churches for the first serious length of time. And so, the campus pastor is to be a steady voice of Christ in the midst of new independence, new ideas, and new temptations. His duty is to plant the cross of Christ right in the middle of the university, so that the lost may be found and the faithful strengthened, that the pursuit of knowledge would be illumined by the very Light of Christ.

The Challenges of a State University

Let us not underestimate the challenges. Jeremiah was promised, “They will fight against you, but they shall not prevail against you, for I am with you to save you and deliver you.”[4] But this enemy, this fight, is not only at the time of Jeremiah. Nor does it consist only of Babylonians and rebellious Israelites. No, we wrestle against our sin, against powers, against principalities, against even the spiritual forces of darkness. At UND, the fight may not come with swords or prison cells, assassinations or physical persecution. But it will come, indeed it comes in subtler ways.

The university can be a place of many blessings. Here knowledge is given, here inquiries can be pursued, people are prepared for service in their chosen professions. But it is also a place where ideologies contrary to Christ are promoted, where questioning to destroy faith is held above questioning to increase in understanding, and where temptation is amplified. Students will be told that truth is relative. Students will be told that truth is what you want to make it; it might be true for you, but not true for me. They will be told that faith is a private hobby that has no place in the public square, that morality is a matter of personal opinion or preferences. They will be told to believe that the Christian Church is an instrument of terrible evil in the world and not an institution devoted to ultimate good in the salvation of Christ. The pastor here will not be cheered for proclaiming Christ crucified as the one way of salvation. He will be opposed, sometimes openly, often quietly, by indifference, skepticism, or ridicule.

And it is not only the pastor here who will bear this cross. These challenges will come to each of you students, fellow redeemed. Whether overtly or subtly, the secularism that is the basis of a modern university education has no place for Christ or the particular and ultimate claims He makes about Himself. Hear this loud and clear, secularism is not a neutral option. No, secularism is its own religion. Its priest are the scientists and materialists who preach only what can be measured. Its evangelists are those who obliterate and mock Christ and His truth as relics of a backwards age. Its most earnest devotees are the ones ready to throw away their lives just to feed their sexual lusts and emotional appetites.

And beyond the intellectual challenges are the pastoral ones. Many young people today experience loneliness, anxiety, pressure, and listlessness. And many struggle with sin that stubbornly clings, despite the best efforts to the contrary. Students will arrive with baggage and burdens. Many will come from broken homes. And these wounds that only the wounds of Jesus Christ can heal.

The Joy of Christ Truly Known

Yet, into this setting, the words of Jesus ring out with great power: “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations.”[5]  Hear that again!  “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations.”  

This is the heart of the chaplain’s work. It is not to provide a refuge from the struggles and storms of a secular campus, or be a moral example to the students, or even just a listening ear, though he will do all those things. Even more, his work is to proclaim Christ crucified and risen, to make known to students, staff, faculty, and whomever else that has ears to hear, that Jesus lives, that their lives have meaning, and that their sins are forgiven.

There is great joy here, at Wittenberg Chapel! The joy of a freshman who finds a spiritual home away from home. The joy of a struggling student who hears and understands for the first time that Christ died for him or her. The joy of baptisms, of confessions made and absolutions spoken, of young people kneeling at the altar and receiving Christ’s very living body and blood. The joy of seeing the Word of God go forth, take root, and grow in the most unlikely of places.

The Call to Faithfulness

But for that joy to begin and endure, there must be faithfulness. Paul’s words to Timothy are clear: “Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers.”[6] 

Campus ministry cannot survive on gimmicks, on watering down the message, or on trying to out-entertain the world. Faithfulness is what Christ calls for among you. He demands faithfulness in Word and Sacrament, faithfulness in doctrine and life, faithfulness to the vows you made at your confirmations.

This means the campus pastor must himself be a man of the Word and prayer, a man who feeds on Christ while feeding others. He must be steadfast, even when the crowd is small, even when the work seems invisible, even when opposition arises. For the Lord has promised: “I am with you to deliver you.”[7]

Conclusion

Dear brother in Christ, Pastor Durham, today Christ places you here at the University of North Dakota as an undershepherd of students, a proclaimer of Christ, a pastor for this campus. Your duties are clear: preach the Word, administer the Sacraments, be faithful in all things. The challenges are real: opposition, apathy, temptation. Yet the joy is greater: Christ is risen! His Word does not return empty. His Spirit works where and when He pleases.

And so, as you begin this ministry, we exhort you in the words of Paul: “Practice these things, immerse yourself in them, so that all may see your progress.”[8] Students, pray for your new chaplain. Encourage him as well as each other to faithfulness to Christ. Stand firm in your conviction and faith because that faith is built on the Rock. And the Rock is Christ. Never forget, you are not alone on this campus. You have faithful brothers and sisters in Christ all over this District and across this Synod who pray for you and who share the same faith in Christ crucified.

So, Pastor Durham, and dear students, keep watch on yourselves and on the teaching. Persist, for in Christ you are saved, and in Christ He works salvation among you.

In the holy Name of + Jesus. Amen.

The peace of God that passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

[1] 1 Timothy 4:16 English Standard Version. All further quotations from the holy Scriptures are from the ESV.

[2] Jeremiah 15:19

[3] 1 Timothy 4:13, 16

[4] Jeremiah 15:20

[5] Luke 24:46-47

[6] 1 Timothy 4:16

[7] Jeremiah 15:21

[8] 1 Timothy 4:15