Day One
Day one of my fourth year return to seminary is over. It was refreshing. The day began with freshly ground and brewed campus coffee. Why can't churches have better taste in the brew? I can't handle the Folgers. I put in 2 hours stuffing envelopes and running errands at Admissions, my new campus job. I look forward to doing more of the techie stuff they hired me for. Then I was off the always-delightful Kramer Chapel for our Lord's gifts. Glorious song and the Word of God preaching in its purity was placed in my ears. Dr. Just was the prediger. "Obedience is a Gospel word." He didn't think so when he came to the Seminary but now he believes it with all his heart. Next up- Luther's Sermons with Dr. MacKenzie. I've heard the good Dr. speak on Luther, rhetoric, and the like before. The first lecture did not disappoint. A brief lunch followed. I enjoyed debriefing with a classmate over the past vicarage year. One o'clock is Gospels III, also known as St. John. Dr. Gieschen knows his Evangelist. The Son of Zebedee is held in high esteem. Whew. Now a break of an hour. Not much of one though, when it fills with the typical banter about ordination and clerical collars. Next time it will be something else equally fascinating and time-wasting. Three o'clock is my favorite Japanese professor, Dr. Masaki and his favorite lecture topic, the Office of the Holy Ministry (or Dogmatics III). It includes Sacraments but those are also covered in their own classes. He began with a bang, critiquing Christian Schwartz (of Natural Church Development fame), Dan Kimball of the so-called emerging church, and Paul Borden's "Hit the Bullseye" (required reading for mission execs.) Our view of the pastor's office (no, not the physical one) informs our view of the sacraments and preaching. As always, the seminary is stimulating. Unlike the first two years, there is a marked shift towards interacting between professor and student, especially in engaging the vicarage experience. But we're not all book-learnin', this is learnign for the sake of the souls who will some day be entrusted to us. Doctrine matters because their souls matter.
