Claimed, gathered and sent

This is the second installment on a series on reforms from the Reformation that we enjoy today. Prior to the Reformation, worship was in Latin, no matter the native language of the people. Most did not understand what was being said and were unable to participate in any meaningful way in the mass. Any singing that was done was also done in Latin and by a choir. There was little, if any, lay participation in the service. The people were passive observers. Those of us who were raised Roman Catholic and are old enough to remember the Catholic Church prior to Vatican II may well remember that time. With this reform came understanding of the service and of the gospel because of hearing it in the vernacular. German chorales and hymnody were also written for use in the service (with parts sung by the people) so that by still another means the Word would be declared and more easily learned by parishioners. Worshipers moved from being passive observers to active particip...

The door on the right is the door of the Wittenburg church in Germany. The 95 Theses were nailed here which spelled out church abuses during the Renaissance. Is any of this relevant for the church today? This is the beginning of a short series on some of the main reforms and why we should care. Clergy marriage Prior to the Reformation and even in today’s Roman Catholic Church, clergy were/are not allowed to marry. The choice was clear; you could either get married or serve God in the church as a priest. This excluded a number of people with genuine calls of God, yet who did not have the gift of celibacy. It was a requirement the church had put upon candidates for the priesthood that scripture did not. Even before Luther ’s time, there were those who were against this prerequisite. Those who were already priests, but lacked the gift of celibacy, because they could not marry, often had mistresses and children by them. Though this ran counter to their vows, it was overlooked....

My first year of seminary is complete!!! The last class was Wednesday. Seniors graduated yesterday and I am no longer a first year student. I am now officially a second year student (middler in seminary parlance). In August, as we were struggling through the two week intensive Summer Greek, we wondered if we would ever survive even that, let alone our first year. Teaching Parish was a formative experience for us. We have made friends with whom we have laughed and cried together. We have formed traditions, like going out together on Friday nights for dinner. We have had silly times like the peeps diorama contest and decorating the Martin Luther statue like a beloved prof. There have been flag football competitions and croquet tournaments, struggling with translating scripture and moments when the lightbulb in our heads has gone on. The year has been a wonderful growing experience for us all. We are not the same people we were in August. In many ways it has been a difficult year for this...

I think if we are honest with ourselves, the main battleground in quiet, meditative prayer and Bible reading, is our wandering minds. It has been wonderful, several times a week to gather with a few others and prayerfully, meditatively read scripture. We gain wonderful insights and blessings from approaching this discipline communally. But it is in those moments of silence, when I should be pondering profound passages like, "But not so with you; rather the greatest among you must become like the youngest, and the leader like one who serves" (Luke 22:26), that my mind wanders to what I need to pick up at the store later, what's coming up class work-wise, or sometimes I'm on the brink of falling asleep. It is at those times that I feel a bit like one of those sleeply disciples Jesus scolded for not being able to stay awake while he prayed in Gethsemane. Yes, I know God is gracious and merciful and knows my heart, but it is exasperating how difficult it can be to be full...

In my Gospels class, each of us has been working with the same passage from one of the four gospels throughout the semester. For me, it was John 10:11-18, the Good Shepherd passage. Along with a classmate we have looked at this passage from numerous perspectives: form criticism, text criticism, redaction criticism, Old Testament in the New Testament, etc. From our weeks of study, we each put together an integrative project. Mine is another blog, Shepherding God's Flock. Initially, it was just for the class and that was it, but at the prof's suggestion and my own enjoyment in putting it together, I've decided to keep it going. I invite you to join the discussion and let's see where it takes us.

As a seminarian from The New England Synod in Region 7, I had the opportunity to apply for a scholarship to this triennial WELCA retreat and won it. This was an excellent retreat on many levels. It came at a time when I desperately felt the need to get away and rest. I didn't even bring any homework with me!! This is the only retreat I've ever been to, where we were told from the very beginning that it wasn't necessary to attend everything. Not only was there built in time to do as we wished, but we were encouraged to walk outside, take a nap, whatever we needed to do. That was different. Worship and fellowship were wonderful at Mt. St. Alphonse in Esopus, NY. The retreat center overlooks the Hudson River. The picture at the right was the view from my room. The keynote speaker, Sr. Anne Bryan Smollin, author, nun, counselor etc., was a hoot. She got her point across with wonderful humor. We were dying from laughter when she spoke. Other speakers and presenters were wonderfu...

At Revgals is a marvelous ancient prayer for your journey today. Christ is risen! He is risen indeed!