With the close of another academic year now just behind us, we reflect with gratitude on all that has taken place—and we celebrate the Class of 2026 as they step into what’s next.
In John 4, we see a powerful picture of this kind of transition in the story of the Samaritan woman. The passage begins with a surprising statement:
“Now He had to go through Samaria.” (John 4:4)
Geographically, He didn’t. Most Jews avoided Samaria. But Jesus was not following custom—He was following purpose. There was one person He intended to meet.
Grace does not overlook.
Grace chooses.
When the woman arrives at the well—alone, in the heat of the day—Jesus is already there, waiting. Not for a crowd, but for her. He crosses every cultural and social boundary to engage her, offering something deeper than what she came for:
“Whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst.” (John 4:14)
In that moment, her story begins to change. She leaves her water jar behind—the very reason she came—and runs back to her village with a new purpose: “Come and see.” Through her testimony, many come to believe.
This is what grace does. It meets us personally and then it sends us.
As our graduates have now stepped beyond campus into new seasons, their story is not defined by having everything figured out, but by what they have encountered. Like the woman at the well, they move forward not because they are finished, but because they have experienced something real.
At Evangel, we have the privilege of witnessing that transformation year after year. Students arrive searching, and they leave with a deeper understanding of who God is—and who they are in Him.
The Samaritan woman’s story reminds us:
You don’t have to have it all together to be used by God.
You simply need to encounter His grace—and then go.