Volume II, No 1 Syndouloi September 5,
2000
The Periodical of the Pre-Sem Club
Fellowservants of Christ
A Welcome Back from the President
Greetings in the Name of our risen Lord,
Jesus Christ! Amen.
Welcome to all of those of you who are
interested in or are trying to work your way through the Pre-Seminary Club. My
focus for this piece is to share with you some of the happenings of the Pre-Sem
club and to give you encouragement.
My major is human psychology and I am currently in the midst of completing my Pre-Seminary requirements. I am a senior by year, but a junior by credits (you’ll probably experience that as you continue on in your program!). I am recently married and consider myself an easygoing fellow who will answer your questions as best I can. I hope to get to know all of you who are new this year and to continue on where we left off, last year, with the rest of you.
Well, enough about myself, now for what is
most important in life. As I write this I am in the midst of doing a word study
for Pauline Epistles. The word I chose was “hilasterion”
(ilasterion). I am drawing it out of Romans 3:25 and am currently trying to
define it. The definition is simple, but the act is not. When defined, this
word reads something to the effect of, “that which makes favorable.” For the
Hebrew translation it refers to that which covers (over sin).
In either of these definitions we can see
the great price our Lord paid. He was that which made us favorable before our
Father in heaven, even though daily we make ourselves unfavorable through sin.
It is in the gifts of Holy Communion, confession and absolution, and through our
baptism that we receive His cleansing forgiveness and are made favorable. So as
the semester chugs along, make sure to focus on your need for these gifts. They
are what we cling to in our times of despair and depression. They also remind
us of what our hilasterion is; the
completed work of Christ makes us right in the sight of our Father in heaven.
My goals for this year are quite simple and
are broken into four categories; each will be met with the passing of a
quarter. My hope is to look at four aspects I find needed in the pastoral
ministry. Each quarter we will be talking to certain authorities, exploring
through discussion and hopefully getting some hands-on experience in each of
the four areas. These areas consist of youth, elderly and death issues,
theological and church discussion, and family and marital relationships within
the church. If you find this appalling or have an amendment to make, feel free
to discuss it with me.
May God’s grace and mercy flow freely in
your lives and in your actions towards others.
Run the race, for the victory is at hand!
Serve Christ always,
Daniel Wing
As many of you should already realize by
now, the theme for this academic year is “A More Excellent Way.” To different
people this verse will mean different things. As readers of this Pre-Seminary
newsletter, I am asking each of you to also choose not a good way or a random
way, but rather the most excellent way.
As servant-leaders in this world with or without the
clerical
collar, we are called to something higher. Knowledge means little without a
soul. Power means nothing without a conscience. The Body of Christ is merely a
cadaver without unity. This unity comes not through our own power or own will,
but rather by God’s will. We work for a common purpose under one Head, let us
never forget that.
The Church has never been without
controversy, just as it has never been without sin. As you study, learn and grow
in this environment, I would ask that you always keep your eyes open. Love is
blind, but Pride looks only to itself. When you hear something you don’t agree
with, ask yourself why you don’t agree with it. When you see someone doing
something you feel is wrong, ask yourself why his action is wrong.
This is a time to learn more about yourself,
more about others and more about the Body of Christ, but if you close your eyes
to what goes on outside of your life, you will never learn such things.
A narrow mind to the Gospel will almost
always cause problems. My role is not especially to say that one person or
group is right or wrong, but rather to alert you to choices that exist out
there and ask you to humbly pray, listen in love and choose always the More
Excellent Way.
If
this is your first issue of Syndouloi:
Welcome! If this is not your first issue of Syndouloi:
Welcome back! The Editor of this little leaflet is Michael Hanel, and he will
try hard to explain exactly what it is about.
Syndouloi
was started last year by graduated senior, Heath Curtis. It was intended to
coincide with the Pre-Sem Club’s focus to promote “the fellowship, education,
spirituality, maturity and faith of those who seek to be pastors in the
Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod.”
Frequently Asked Questions
The name Syndouloi
is Greek for fellowservants and was taken from Colossians 4:7. The newsletter
was meant to keep everyone connected and also to enable us to reach out to
others. Meetings cannot be duplicated and passed on easily, but this document
is easily reproduced.
I, as the Editor, will try to find a
direction for Syndouloi, but
ultimately you, the reader, are going to make this what it is. Depending on how
many letters or notes I get from all of you, there may be one issue per month
or one per week.
I would like to make this as accessible as
possible, but I also do not want it to get out of control. There are many
people out there with strong opinions on various subjects that affect us as
servant-leaders in this world and in the Church and I think it is most
appropriate for us to pay close attention to those views.
If you’ve ever had a conflict with someone
you know that silence is not the answer. If we stop communicating and stop
listening to each other, we will ultimately be causing more harm for the
future.
· Syndouloi is still looking to expand its
authorship. If you have a book review,
devotion, story, opinion, prayer request, or anything else that you think would
be a good addition to this publication, please send it to the editor, Michael
Hanel, in campus mail.
One issue that Syndouloi would especially like to cover is Bible translations.
Which translations are good translations? What makes for a good translation?
How do different translations affect our theology? What about God’s Word, a recent Lutheran effort
into the wide range of available translations? These and other issues would be
worthy to explore and would be sure to find a space in Syndouloi, so please get your thoughts to the editor soon.
· New officers for the 2000-01 school year are on the
horizon. Any questions contact either: Pres. Dan Wing, 643-9574; Editor,
Michael Hanel, 8596; or Sponsor, Prof.
Block, 7442.
· The next meeting is Sept. 6. at the regular time and place:
9pm Wednesday nights in the Pre-Sem
Room, Founders 203. These one-hour meetings usually consist of free pop and cookies, a speaker or
Bible study, and prayer. If you, or someone you know, would like to lead one of
our weekly meetings, please contact Dan.
· In the absence of any controversial subjects, please also
consider submitting book reviews and or good websites to the Editor. With so
many different ideas out there, it’s important that we help each other find the
good and avoid the bad!
· If you know someone
who did not get a copy of Syndouloi,
but would like one, please send a note to the Editor or call him. One need not
be in the Pre-Sem program to participate in or just watch this exchange of
ideas.
· Things to keep in mind for the future: Project due dates
come fastest the night before they’re due. Water-guns are weapons of mass
destruction (I speak from personal experience). Sleep is important, but more so
at night than during class. Janzow food could
be worse. God is always there waiting to hear from you.
Many people have said
that the most influential book outside of the Bible is The Imitation of Christ by Thomas à Kempis. In it he includes numerous exhortations and dialogues between
Jesus and a Disciple that are meant to help us understand more fully what it means
to imitate Christ. While there are some parts in it we may disagree with, there
are also parts about which we should think.
À Kempis uses Jesus to say, “My son, take care not to discuss lofty topics and God’s
secret judgments…. Why one is so highly exalted and another sorely afflicted.
All this is beyond the power of human understanding, and no amount of reasoning
or discussion can possibly fathom divine judgments.”
It is sometimes important to ask
why, but it is also important for us as creatures of the divine to realize that
we cannot know all things, though we always try. The beginning of our wisdom
and knowledge should always be found in the Person of Christ. When we aren’t
sure exactly what is right, we can find comfort in Him for he is not just the
fount for Wisdom and Truth; he is
Wisdom and Truth! Look always to God, in conflict and in peace and you will
find yourself at your feet in front of the Cross.
