I consider myself a lifelong learner. I enjoy reading books that challenge and stretch me, introducing me to a variety of voices and perspectives. I seek out TV and film that opens my eyes to new worlds and forces me to wrestle with compassion, forgiveness, and redemption in new ways. I listen to a wide spectrum of music that leads me into new sounds and guides me deeper into the exhilarating intersections of an ever-increasing global playlist.
I see this in my life of Christian faith, too, which is central to my whole being. I continue to learn and grow in faith, hope, and love. I am not the same person I was on my Confirmation day in 9th grade, my senior year of college, or even who I was when I preached my first sermon at Lord of Life in 2014. Stimuli from every direction of my life, as well as life lived among others, has led me to new territory and challenged me with notions about God, Church, humanity, and more.
One of the ways that has come about in recent years is in my work with seminary interns. Being a teaching parish and internship supervisor is good for me. In the almost twenty years since my own internship, there have been massive shifts in ministry. Interns help me catch up on current ministry models, explore new curriculum, become familiar with innovative voices, and help me rediscover how I’m called to pastoral leadership and why I thrive in collaborative ministry settings. If you’ve been around Lord of Life any length of time, you’ll remember the impact that pastors Lucas McSurley, Corey Wagonfield, and Alec Brohnson made as they shared their passions and gifts with us over the last handful of years.
Lord of Life as a teaching parish is good for seminary interns, too. We have so much to offer including vibrant traditional and contemporary worship, a spectrum of ages who are active and involved in learning and serving moments, and an amazing campus that includes an outdoor worship space and community garden. Our congregation is welcoming, affirming, and inclusive of all people – which sadly isn’t an experience for all interns. You are a generous people, joyously pouring out your time, finances, and talents to help propel God’s work in and through us. We host the Vida Eterna Iglesia Lutherana (VEIL) Latino congregation, Family Promise ministry with those who are unhoused, and share our space with a dozen outside groups. Interns are blessed when they experience the full breadth of ministry here, not as a spectator, but as an essential player on the ministry team.
Being a teaching parish is also good for us as a congregation. As we help form future leaders, we are reminded that church is a place to try new things, a safe place to fail, and a place to celebrate a variety of gifts and talents. A community of faith is a place to practice loving and caring for one another, stretching our minds, listening with expectation, and growing our hearts. Welcoming seminary students for short-term missions helps us practice saying “Hello” and “Goodbye.” As we serve and learn together, we are reminded that we’re all on a journey and have something to both offer and learn.
One of the central passages in the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament), the Shema, is centerpiece of morning and evening Jewish prayer:
“Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. Keep these words that I am commanding you today in your heart. Recite them to your children and talk about them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you rise. Bind them as a sign on your hand, fix them as an emblem on your forehead, and write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.” Deuteronomy 6:4-9.
These verses are loaded with action verbs: Hear. Love. Keep. Recite. Talk. Bind. Fix. Write. Don’t miss how it is a blend of both receiving and giving. Isn’t that how Christian faith functions? Isn’t that what we are called to be?
Living and learning in hope,
Pastor Lowell
Please see page 3 of the latest issue of our Lifeline Newsletter for more information about our 2023-2024 seminary intern, Laura Applegate.