Volume II, No. 3 Syndouloi December
8, 2000
The Periodical of the Pre-Sem Club
Fellowservants of Christ
The Life of a Person
Wouldn’t it be nice if you had time to get all those things done, which you have always wanted to do? Wouldn’t it be nice if you never had to worry about getting enough sleep or eating all of the meals for the day, but instead you could concentrate wholly on one task?
During this time in the semester, we may all be shaking our heads emphatically: yes, that’s exactly what I want! But then we have to question our motives. What is our purpose in this world? Is it to do many things or to do just a few? Is it to become a world traveler or to simply be a permanent resident of one area?
We have already examined the call, but sometimes we forget the reality of the call. The truth is that we are called to be ministers today without a complete understanding of Greek and Hebrew and without a parish. Sometimes we like to imagine what it will be like when we are out of the Seminary and we can practice the Lord’s ministry.
I believe it is better to become focused in the here and now. It is similar to the parable of the talents. If you cannot use what you have now, you have not shown why you would all of a sudden be a wonderful steward of your resources if you had plenty.
That may sound harsh, but it is true. Examine your life. Know why you do the things you do and know why you don’t do other things. We do not have an endless supply of resources and time is limited. All that we have is from God and we can use all of that for his glory.
When you come back from break, focus on these ideas. Be a
servant to others. Live an active spiritual life. Be open to change, but at the
same time start focusing yourself. Realize we all have our own weaknesses, but
that we can strengthen those things as well.
These
are the days we’ve all been waiting for: finals! Finals mark the end of the
semester, a chance for us to demonstrate exactly what we do and do not know.
Maybe that’s why it’s stressful, because we fear that we are not going to know
it all.
We wonder to ourselves if pulling one more all-nighter will help us
learn everything we need to know, but it only leaves us tired. We end up
needing a place and time of rest after putting our bodies through the gauntlet
that has been this semester.
Jesus, too,
recognized this need for a solitary place every now and then in his days upon
this earth. There was nothing easy about walking around, preaching and keeping
all the disciples in line. He realized that his body had needs, but more
importantly he realized that his soul had needs as well.
Prayer was his link to his Father just as
it is for us. We pray for God’s kingdom to come to us, but do not forget that
it is always there waiting. Mary and Joseph were all set to be wed before the
angel came to bring news that would forever change their lives. God will
intervene in his own time.
During this Advent
season, do not get lost in the adventure of life. The baby Jesus came to
a manger because it was the only place that had room for him. God isn’t looking
for a Hilton in our lives either. He wants to enter and to be involved, if only
you will let him. Then you will see what changes he will bring to your life.
Last summer I took a few hours out of a few of my days to try to schedule appointments with different clergy around my town. Unfortunately my school and work schedule didn’t allow for me to meet nearly as many clergy as I wanted to, I did get the opportunity to talk with a Catholic priest and a woman pastor in an ELCA church. I had a list of different questions that I asked them that covered a variety of different subjects, but mostly I was interested in what their view of the ministry was.
I am sure most of you are already in a good relationship with the pastor of your home congregation, but if not I would highly suggest using him as one of your top resources. I usually end up going out to eat with my pastor to talk over various subjects every time I come home.
The point of all of these types of interactions is to get you in the minefield. Believe it or not you will probably be called to do ecumenical work when you are in your own congregation. It’s not a bad idea to get to know real people now. You’d be amazed at how much we have in common at the congregational level.
But furthermore, I think it is also
important for us to get to know all of the different views and beliefs out
there. I haven’t received anything from anyone this semester, which I would
assume means that you all know everything right now. I, on the other hand, will
plead humble ignorance. So once again, I invite you all to take a look at your
beliefs and compare them with the beliefs of others.
It’s not a sin to question the Church (just ask Martin Luther). In fact I would say it’s probably a bad sign if you don’t have an opinion about anything. If you understand the LCMS’ stance on a number of issues such as close(d) communion, congregational-Synodical relations and women’s ordination, that’s wonderful. Perhaps you’d like to lead a few of our pre-sem meetings as I know there are quite a number of other people who would like to ask you a few questions. But if you do have questions, now is the time to ask them.
· 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.
· If you have any questions about the Pre-Sem Club or program
contact either: Pres. Dan Wing, 643-9574; V. Pres. Ryan Oakes, 8676;
Sec./Treas. Josh Lowe, 8563; Editor, Michael Hanel, 8596; or Sponsor, Prof.
Block, 7442.
· The next meeting is Wed..
Jan. 10 at 9pm in the Pre-Sem Room,
Founders 203. If you haven’t caught on, our meetings are weekly on Wed.
nights. 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.
I close out this year with lyrics to one of my favorite
songs by one of my favorite artists. The song is called Strong Hand of Love
and it was written by Mark Heard. It speaks to me and I hope that it will speak
to you as well. I think it does a good job of closing in on the theme of this
issue. Do we ever really understand our place in this world? We are in this world,
but not of it. We are constantly at war within ourselves to try to kill that
sinner that lives within us.
Down peppers the rain from a clear blue sky
Down trickles a tear on a youthful face
Feeling in haste and wondering why
Up struggles the sun from a wounded night
Out venture our hearts from their silent shrouds
Trying to ignite but wondering how
We can laugh and we can cry
And never see the strong hand of love hidden in the shadows
We can dance and we can sigh
And never see the strong hand of love hidden in the shadows
Young dreamers explode like popped balloons
Some kind of emotional rodeo
Learning too slow and acting too soon
Time marches away like a lost platoon
We gracefully age as we feel the weight
Of loving too late and leaving too soon
We can laugh and we can cry
And never see the strong hand of love hidden in the shadows
We can dance and we can sigh
And never see the strong hand of love hidden in the shadows
