Little Realizations

What in the world am I doing again? Oh, that’s right. I’m attending seminary.

During worship on Thursday (what a great combination of words), we sang a hymn from the LBW celebrating the lives of great women in the faith. I was a bit surprised, pleasantly so, until my eyes were directed to the upper-right hand corner of the page, where the hymn is put into its specific category in the hymnal (i.e. “Holy Communion” or “Easter”). This particular song was under the heading of “Lesser Hymns”. I laughed, finding humor and sadness on many levels.

During our Worship class, we digressed into a full-blown, down-and-dirty discussion on the nature and merit of praying to God, particularly as it pertains to God’s answering (or lack thereof) of our petitions. Voices were raised, emotions were stirred, and a few tears were shed. Our professor politely reminded us that the conversation was better suited for a Pastoral Care class, but the bigger point did not escape me – what a beautiful privilege to be able to discuss and debate such faith-based notions in an academic setting. I know - I’m kind of a dork.

I love that I’m being challenged to respond responsibly and theologically to the things I have encountered so far in this unique city. I’m so happy with my decision to attend, here and now. I am blessed.