...greetings friends! My apologies for the long silence. Below, reflections on the journey thus far, and a prayer I shared with the VDS community at worship last semester.
Divinity School...I'm not sure where to start. It's a glorious break from the stress and tumult of nursing school, nowhere near as cut-throat, and is what my soul needs. I have found myself on the Worship Committee and active with the group of liturgically-minded students, the Office of Women's Concerns, and GABLE, the LGBTQIA alliance at VDS. I'm also on the LGBT Speaker's Bureau for the university. I'm blessed with enough time, or at least breathing room, to do activities outside of school work, which is refreshing.
To be honest, I couldn't be happier to be at VDS for my MDiv. It's the place that I needed to pursue the academic study of religion and parallel it to my discernment for ordination. But it doesn't mean that it is perfect either. Happily, student groups are willing and able to ask the hard questions and look for the answers.
Last semester was Hebrew Bible, Formations of the Christian Tradition (history from death of Christ up to the Reformation), Pastoral Theology and Care, and Women and Religion. Pastoral Theology and Care was by far my favorite class, and the readings were incredible. We of course talked about all the light and fluffy topics: domestic violence, sexuality and spirituality, addiction, family systems theory, ritual.... It was transformative. I wrote about experiences of giving and receiving pastoral care, which was difficult but also informative about how I interact with others outside of a medical context.
This semester's lineup is also full of awe and wonder. New Testament, History of Christianity in the Reformation Era, Feminist and Womanist Theological Ethics, and Prophetic Preaching and Social Justice Ethics (an excellent way to fulfill a homiletics requirement in my opinion). I am looking forward to it like I never looked forward to nursing school, and the expectations have been exceeded in multiple corners. The readings I do for Feminist and Womanist Theological Ethics and Prophetic Preaching, in particular, include topics and themes I have always wanted to explore. I feel so privileged to get to discuss them in such a wonderful environment full of support.
I see nursing as a goal-oriented degree, they want us in and out and licensed to practice. This is not a bad thing at all--we need to be in and out so we can help others. It's for my rational, logical, analytical, left-brain. Div School is all about the process: none of us necessarily knows in what direction we will go, and we are here to discern, grow, and fellowship in the community. It's about creativity, working outside the box, and discernment--for my right brain. For this opportunity I am exceedingly grateful, and my joy overflows on the regular. I also have phenomenal friends: most if not all of my Div friends are like me, with old souls in young bodies. I feel so lucky to have these companions on the journey.
A Prayer to the Quilter, for Community
Let's say that the community is a quilt. Community could be the Kingdom, or rather, Kin-dom, of God, the communion of saints, the people gathered around us, the cloud of witnesses...you get the idea.
In that spirit, let us pray for unity--unity of heart and mind and soul and strength in the face of divisions, partisanship, wounded and broken people, need, hunger, and pain.
If the community is a quilt, we the individuals are scraps of fabric, remnants of blankets and clothing, well-loved and ready for new purpose.
If the community is a quilt, God--the divine spark--YHWH--Allah is the quilter. Seated at the table, surrounded by scraps, the Divine works with love and dedication to prune and shape each piece to fit into its place in the quilt.
If the community is a quilt, Christ--Buddha--the prophets--Muhammad, Peace Be Upon Him is the sewing machine, or the needle. The messengers knit together even the most unlikely or funny-shaped pieces in such a way that the quilt is one, indivisible.
If the community is a quilt, the Holy Spirit--the Paraclete--the Cool Breeze--the intangible--ruah is the thread, touching each piece, unseen but sensed, holding each edge, weaving our stories together into the communion of saints and cloud of witnesses.
If the community is a quilt, the community of faith--cloud of witnesses--gathered people is the batting. In the space created by the uniting of scraps, it warms those who sleep beneath the quilt and gives each scrap a tangible purpose.
If the community is a quilt, we are members of a warm, connected family united by the Spirit, machined by the prophets and messengers of our traditions, cared for by the divine spark present in the world. We are wanted, loved, and cherished at the same time we provide care for others.
Oh Quilter of Souls, grant that we do not forget our location amongst the uneven or contrasting components of our quilted community. Grant that we may always feel the work of the threads of the Spirit, that tether of community; and that the exacting purpose of the prophets our stitchers will keep us together in mission.
Oh Quilter of Souls, make us ever mindful of the warmth of the community, even in coldest night.
Amen.
(c) cmdl 1 Nov 2012
