Let us pray.
--+ Our
delight is in your law, O Lord, and on your teachings we meditate day and
night. Gathered by Christ as his
disciples, may we draw ever closer to your Word. May it hold us together as we welcome all your
children into your presence; may it inspire us to welcome your presence in our
own hearts and minds. AMEN.
“Seminaries
and Churches Together”
--} Brothers and Sisters, for most of my 20 years in ordained
ministry as a Teaching Elder in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), I have been
an advocate for theological education working with the seminary support network
to help fund our denomination’s Theological Education Fund.
The Theological Education Fund was
established shortly after the reunion of the Northern and Southern expressions
of Presbyterianism in 1984; and the dream at the time of its inception was to
provide a sturdy, denomination-wide funding stream that would substantially
support and undergird the ministry of our Presbyterian Seminaries. We have 10 Seminaries that belong outright to
our denomination and us, and two additional seminaries related by covenant
agreement. These institutions provide
for education and nurture for church leaders, particularly those in ordained
ministry—both teaching and ruling elders—but especially inquirers and
candidates seeking ordination as teaching elders, for which a seminary degree is
required.
For 2014, the Theological
Education Fund received gifts totaling just over 1 million dollars from
congregations and individuals across the denomination. Just a decade ago, the Theological Education
Fund accounted for nearly 3 million dollars annually. And when you consider that those funds are
divided among 11 schools that receive financial support—that 1 million dollars
doesn’t go far enough to support the substantial service our seminaries are
tasked provide. Consider further that each
of those schools, must raise several million dollars annually just to meet the
budget—what we’re providing as a denomination is woefully inadequate for the
needs which we have.
Today, the cost of providing 1
year of theological education is more than $60,000 per student.
And while tuition grants cover
most of the tuition costs for PRESBYTERIAN students at our seminaries, the
overall costs still leave seminary graduates with a substantial debt load, that
even younger students will have a hard time repaying over their lifetime at
today’s median salary in the PCUSA—not even considering those who receive
salaries on the lower end of the scale or who come as older students!
But my task today was not to shame
you for not having given more money to TEF.
Our congregation faces its own serious financial difficulties and we
haven’t had money to put toward causes like the TEF in recent years. The financial situations at our seminaries
are not as dire as our own, thanks to substantial endowment programs that buoy
the balance sheets. However, that cannot
be a reason that we simply allow theological education to languish on its
own.
It’s not just about service to
students, but serving the needs of the whole church!
Remember, Jesus prescribes “theological
education” for believers and followers in today’s gospel lesson. It’s the kind of education that requires
skills at recognizing the needs of others.
And, apparently, it requires skills that aren’t natural—in fact, they’re
skills that very much go against the kind of education the “world” offers
us.
Martha Moore-Keish, a seminary
classmate of mine, notes Joyce Ann Mercer’s Welcoming Children: A Practical
Theology of Childhood in a Feasting on the Word commentary about today’s
passage the importance of recognizing the value of children. Jesus doesn’t offer up the child as a cute
example, but a purposeful reminder for believers:
" The 'gift of children' is thus not only about the delight and wonder that children embody, but also about the way that children draw Jesus’ followers into resisting all imperial powers of our time, struggling against all that opposes the 'kin-dom of God'."
See, the presence of the child in
the story compels Jesus’ believers and followers into ministry to the “least”
the “lost,” and the “forgotten.” THIS—is theological
education. Preparation for ministry—as
Christians, but also for Teaching and Ruling Elders—requires a different way of
seeing the world! Our seminaries are
tasked with opening this new world where God’s love and vision for all of
creation can be revealed. It’s not a
matter of simply “learning what the Bible says,” as if it’s just reading the words
and applying a plain meaning. It’s a
matter of learning a craft, understanding the task of God’s claim on our lives,
and living new lives!
This isn’t just a task for preachers—for
learning Greek and Hebrew and memorizing all of the books of the Bible—it’s a
process and a practice of sharing with the church at large the call and claim
of God in the world.
Theological Education is the
starting point for every ministry! It’s
the place at which we discern a calling and seek to follow God. It’s also the resources we need to “be the
Church” in the world. It’s about
leadership AND exploration. It’s about
having research centers where the latest studies and information can be
deciphered as well as addressing needed, real-world questions.
For example, the Bible offers
absolutely no guidance about the use of fossil fuels or nuclear weapons—directly. And while policy decisions about sex
trafficking or homelessness or pornography and the dangers of the internet and
cable television seem self-explanatory in light of the 10 Commandments—they’re
not. How we understand WHO we are as
well as WHOSE we are is in part, related to our “theological education.”
The theological education Jesus
prescribes for believers and followers is one where we learn to recognize the
people we are not inclined to recognize.
THEY are VITAL to our seeing and knowing the Kingdom of God! Without them, we have little hope of
accomplishing what God has called to us accomplish.
The theological education Jesus
prescribes is putting a child in the midst of the adults, to put a child in the
midst of those who think they know—as an invitation to welcome the child.
So this morning, I want to do no less
than Jesus for you; except the child that I would put in your midst is
theological education in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and the work and
support of our 10 + 2 Presbyterian Seminaries.
My job is to invite you to share
from your hearts—AND from your checking accounts. Because while our congregation doesn’t
currently have money to support this ministry, it doesn’t mean that you as
individuals can’t make your own contributions to this work of God’s mission on
earth. And in your bulletin is information
about the theological education fund and how you can contribute online or by
writing a check and sending it to the Presbyterian Foundation. Or, you can write a check to our congregation
and mark it for the THEOLOGICAL EDUCATION FUND.
And please, don’t think that a
gift to TEF should be more valuable than your other giving. Don’t make this gift instead of your pledged
giving to our congregation, or instead of gifts you promised or intend to give
to other causes that are important to you or our congregation. Accept this “child in your midst” as a
challenge to increase your giving and to give more. Use it as an opportunity to push past your
usual and customary giving, having been invited into the realities of God’s
kingdom on earth. And know that this
additional, special giving, is part of the way God has invited you to respond
to the small one amongst you.
THIS is about Seminaries and
Church together. The Theological
Education Fund is like “paying it forward” because some day, this congregation
will require a new pastoral leader. It
just makes sense to replenish the ranks.
By funding the work of seminaries now, there is something to rely on
later.
But even now, with a pastoral
leader in place, the work of our seminaries provides valued and needed
resources toward meeting the needs of God’s mission in the world. Resources to train congregational leaders,
provide direction, and valued input. As
we turn to face the crisis of racism, theological education offers a wealth of
knowledge and input. As we seek to
become a resource to our community in Havertown, theological education can help
us speak “God” to the people around us.
So, I’m putting the child before
you.
Won’t you join me in making a
difference? In welcoming him to the fold
of the faithful; or, by remembering that SHE is the key to the Kingdom of
God—for us. And, for so many
others.
Will you pray with me?
--+ Help
us, O God, by the power of your Spirit, to listen attentively to your living
Word, to speak boldly of your saving love, and to live faithfully in your holy
way; we pray in Jesus’ name. AMEN.
Worship Celebrating the 17th Sunday after Pentecost; September 20, 2015
THEOLOGICAL EDUCATION / PRESBYTERIAN SEMINARIES SUNDAY
The Presbyterian Church of Llanerch; Havertown, PA
Texts: | Mark 9: 30-37 *
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