I learned a few things about my classmates and myself during the course of today. As the title of today's post will tell you is that today I was my first day of classes of which I had two, one this morning and one this evening. For both of my classes there are a fair amount of first year CDSP students in taking the course with me, though most of the first year class is in my Fundamentals of Worship class, which met this morning. Over the day I have come to reflect on a few topics that arose from my observations and interactions within each class.
In an institution of higher learning, a seminary for example, I believe that students, especially in the first few weeks of classes, seek out ways in which they can differentiate themselves from the rest of the class. We all want to be known for our own academic merits and seek out some sort of academic order, but it seems to me that some students seek out other ways in which they can position themselves at the front of the class. I observed this in both classes and it ties into a larger idea that has really got me thinking.
This morning we had the first meeting of our Fundamental of Worship class. This course is intended for students to become familiar with the services found in the Book of Common Prayer and to understand the basic whys and hows of each service. It also serves as an opportunity for new students to become familiar with the way services are done at CDSP and is an added bonus especially because as MDiv students we are expected to lead services on a regular basis. We meet every Tuesday morning at 9:40, the timing of which is a good thing because then I am not in a rush to get up and be ready early, and we meet in the chapel. I really like the fact that we get to meet in the chapel for this class because of the very nature of the class we need to be in the setting for which the services take place and not stuck in a classroom. Because it is not set in a normal classroom my overall feelings for the class are that much better since we do not have to sit in yet another classroom. A change of scenery is always nice.
The course is being co-led by the Dean of the chapel and the music director/organist for the chapel. I like that it is being done in this way because it shows their emphasis on the role of music as a vital part of any worship service. Having come from a very music oriented parish, it was nice to see that they too share that love of music. As we went around introducing ourselves we were asked two questions, where did we come from liturgically and what, if any, music experience did we have. To me these are two pretty basic questions that would give the professors and idea of what sort of experiences that we are bringing to the table. The first person answered the questions fairly briefly and I think conveyed her experiences to us. I went second and I told them that I came from a small suburban parish outside of Boston that was middle of the road liturgically and that there was always a willingness to try new things and changing when necessary. For the music question, I told them that for our parish music was an integral ministry within the community and that though I was the only male singer in a choir of six we still loved to sing and the congregation has continued to support the music program. Two simple sentences that I felt answered their questions with enough info for them to get a glimpse of where I came from.
The person next to go was a woman from Connecticut, another New Englander...we are multiplying, gave her little spiel and also mention that she is a classically trained singer and she did indeed have a beautiful voice. She too was also short in her response. But soon I began to notice people taking longer to offer up their information and at one point we had heard a guy's whole life story, as it pertained to liturgy and music. It was almost torturous to hear. What should have taken a half hour turned into an hour and a half posturing session. It seemed as if everyone that went tried to one up the person before them. Was that truly their intention? Were they trying to validate their own experiences by trying to distinguish themselves from the class? In everything we do our intentions will reveal what our hearts and minds are feeling and thinking. Now this could all be in my head, but I am inclined to think otherwise.
This evening I had my second class which is titled, Teaching the Old Testament: An Introduction. The title is a bit deceiving, in that the focus really isn't on the teaching aspect but more of an examination of the books of the OT and exegetical work on those texts. The hope of the professor is that after we are done with this class we should be able to walk in an Adult Ed course and confidently be able to educate and discuss the contents of the OT. We will also be focusing on why the books are still relevant today and how they can be preached to a congregation. I am taking this course because it satisfies my OT requirement, it is being taught by my adviser, and because I really need a focused course on the OT which I have not been exposed to yet.
After the class I was standing outside with Jason and up walked one of the other students in the OT class with me. She asked me if I understood some of the words and ideas that were being tossed about. I told that I did but that I bring a very limited knowledge of the Bible with me because I have not had extensive academic study of the scriptures. She also came from a similar background and then she walked off to her apartment. Then it began to make more sense. Each of us in this incoming class come here with very different experiences. None of our stories are alike. We come with our own strengths and weaknesses. For me because of the nature of my home parish I sang in the choir and I regularly served during the worship service, so for me those are tangible skills that others may not have had the opportunity to experience. On the other hand, I come to this school with a limited amount of knowledge about the Bible and I few it as one of my weaknesses. Sure I know the stories and have had some experience in studying scripture, thanks sermon group, but I have never looked at it from this new lens of studying the style, the word choice, the context and the history, whereas for other students this is their strength. This immediately called to mind Paul's first letter to the Corinthians and the one body, many parts in referring to the gifts we have been granted by God. And just as the body needs many different parts with many different abilities to function, so to does the body of Christ need many parts with many different abilities in order to function.
I believe that I know myself well enough to be able to identify my own strengths and weakness. I also believe that I can play to my strengths while also building up my weaknesses. No one shows up to seminary with all the knowledge and experience necessary to become a priest, instead it is a process of time. One of the main reasons for coming to CDSP was because I believed that this place would challenge me more than VTS or any other seminary would. I knew that while the very location of the school would present it's own challenges, but I also wanted to challenge my own knowledge and experiences of what church is and how it is done. Be careful what you wish for because you just might get it, and it has begun. When all is said and done though, I believe that I will be prepared to embark on my own path of ministry after three years at CDSP.
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