Author: MASadmin

One Potato, Two Potato, Three I-have-never-really-met-that-potato, Four

The evolution of my time at my field site has been rather fascinating. Its been neat seeing how the longer I’m integrated into the community and the staff at the church, the more I’m assumed to have always been there. As I near the end of my second year as their intern (and prep for the start of my internship), the assumption that I’ve just always been there has increased. Recently, people who have moved on from the church and come back to visit, either assume that they automatically know me or that I automatically know them. Folks I’ve only seen on facebook, tagged in the pictures of church members, arrive and people just automatically feel that I’ve had a relationship with them for years. My need to say “oh hey, that’s before my time” has increased. And while that might seem annoying to some people, I actually enjoy it. It doesn’t really boast my ego in the sense that I am starting to feel indispensable; rather, it helps make me feel assimilated into the community. I’m enjoying that.

Of course, there does arise situations where I end up feeling the need to “fake it” when it comes to knowing someone. Luckily, I’m getting use to introducing myself, stick my hand out there, and saying hello to people. In reality, it is the same kind of work that I’m suppose to normally do with people I don’t know anyways. But there’s a skill in showing a hint of remembrance in your eye, taking a step back and letting the conversation develop around you, and also using the time honored phrase of “what’s new?” rather than any other kind of uncovering question. In fact, “what’s new?” is becoming my standard question. I’m still working on a followup when people obviously respond with “well, nothing really. same old, same old.” But I’ll get there. And, if worse comes to worse, I’ll just show them pictures of my dog and my cat. That seems to open up people all the time.

Watching Anglican wheels turning on Lutheran Ethics


The Blue Jay is disappointed in my lack of class participation. via buzzfeed.

The problem with going to a non-Lutheran seminary is that there is a very large language gap between Lutherans and the Episcopalians/Anglicans around me. I mean, we use the same words but we’re not saying the same thing. In my class on Ethics, we attempted to examine, somewhat, Lutheran ethics through the lens of Luther’s own perspectives. Sadly, the books that were selected were actually the wrong place to start any fruitful discussion about Lutheran ethics. Rather, they were books that reinforced the misconception that Augustinian ethics is the same thing as Lutheran ethics (Luther’s two kingdoms are not the same as Augustine’s two cities, etc.). I think, based on some massive generalizations, that such a misconception arises because of the similar words used and the fact that Anglicans love the church fathers/mothers in a non-sexual, non-threatening way, in a way that actually interferes with the realization that Reformers used Augustine in different ways. Luther is Augustinian but he’s not only reading Augustine in one way; i.e. he’s not Anglican.

Now, I know I could have raised my hand and lectured the class about where Lutheran ethics possibly starts (maybe starting from the question of what faith is) but it is getting to the point in the semester where I just don’t have the energy or desire to correct people (I’ll leave that for my papers and projects). And it didn’t help that I was tired and in a bad mood either. So I just sat there, kept myself quiet, and stewed. It was fun to see the class, however, move around on the question of Luther and work some of it out – but it grated on me. And with the internet not really working during that class period, I actually felt I had to pay attention to the discussion and that just didn’t help at all.

In the interests of full communion, maybe I should have opened my mouth and educated my classmates. But, with less than a month of classes left, I just don’t have the time.

Those young people – getting their theatre on – tsk tsk.

Here’s another reason why I like to look at old magazines: finding out that I’m violating so many things, I might as well just give up and go on a bender.

From The Lutheran Quarterly, 1895 (July), page 416 (“Review of Recent Literature”)

[From the] AMERICAN LUTHERAN PUBLICATION BOARD, CHICAGO.
The Theatre. By William Dallman. pp. 112.
In the form of a dialogue with several young people the author disposes quite effectually of the arguments cited in behalf of the theatre. This is followed by an array of startling testimonies against it, and this in turn by Bible proofs, and anecdotes. A careful reading of these clear and sober pages will likely convince Christians that they ought not to patronize the theatre and that it is no place for their young people to seek amusement. This little work merits the widest circulation.
R. J. W.

I’m seeing Newsies in 9 days. All hope is lost for me. SAVE YOURSELVES!

Post Easter Madness

I wish I could inform all of you that this Easter Monday will consist of naps, vegging out in front of my Netflix instant stream, and eating a chocolate bunny for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. But, alas, there is no rest for a seminarian who is going to finish his semester in a month. Laundry, papers, books, articles, worship design, and some web development hootenanny will devour my day today. However, I am satisfied because not only is Christ risen (Alleluia!) but I, personally, looked awesome yesterday. My easter shirt was a hit especially during the joint choir sing where I was in the center of the crowd while surrounded by folks in white choir robes. Now if only I could get a cassock in this color….

We match!
Photo by the lovely Julie. K and I didn’t plan to match, it just worked out that way.

Tick Tock, Tick Tock, Solem Lent, Tick Tock

K is excited to be at the HOLY LAND EXPERIENCE Over the last two weeks, my trip to The Holy Land Experience keeps coming up in conversation. During my course on Corinthians and the Greco-Roman view of the human body, the white tinkerbell Jesus of the HLE’s passion play came up as a valid juxtaposition between modern concepts of body and what Paul thought. And in my New Testament survey course, the conversation surrounding Revelation and the macho/feminized Jesus brought to mind the image of Peter in the Scriptorium where he looks bigger than the Hulk. And, with the vigil of Easter currently being kept, the lack of solemnity when it comes to the Easter Story at the Holy Land Experience has bled into my own self-reflection. Because, in a lot of ways, this has been one of my least solemn lenten experiences since I’ve returned to church. And I’m not sure how to feel about that.

My preparation for these Holy Days has consisted of me posting web comics to Facebook, ironing while shaking my booty to mashups, and spending more (than usual) late nights out. I really didn’t give anything up nor did I take on any discipline. Sure, I’ve been reading the bible a lot, doing theological reflections, participating in worship, led a study of the Augsburg Confession, and even preached once. And I do feel like I’ve done holy things. But things felt just a tad more…bright this season? I’m not sure what it was but I felt a lack of centerness this season.

While I ironed my new Easter shirt (besides realizing that entering ordained ministry means that if I decide to have a new outfit for each easter, my wife will get upset with the number of chasubles, copes, and stoles that I spend our money on), I started to come up with reasons why I felt this way. I thought of the unusually warm and sunny winter we had (which was awesome!), the fact that I’m still digesting what it means to celebrate Lent and the Passion while living in a post-resurrection reality, and that I was just too tired doing other things to take anything else on. And, sure, all of those reasons might have applied, but I think the big one is that there’s a little person joining our family soon. It is difficult to withdraw, to scale back, when everything is about to change. And I’m ridiculously excited about this change because, well, there’s a lot of hope in this little guy entering the world. It’s an incarnational story for me – which is Jesus’ story (of course). There’s life here. So, I think, that the big difference between this Lent and Easter and previous ones, for me, is that as new life grows and develops in K, and as we prep ourselves for his entering into our world, I’m just focused on the hope of new life. I’m stuck on the beauty in the life giving act of God on the cross. The Good in Good Friday is the highlight for me this year. I’m in no rush to Easter or the resurrection; I’m in no rush to bypass Lent and enter the Easter season. There’s new life right here, right now, and I can live with that today. Is this theologically sound? Probably not. But I’ve decided that he’s got my forehead, k’s chin and lips, and my nose.