Courtney Long and Britney Holder listen intently during a worship workshop session. |
At a Glance
Theme: Incarnation: Divinity in Humanity
Faculty Speaker:
Dr. John Utz, Adjunct Assistant Professor of Literature and Theology
Lectionary Texts:
Exodus 3:1-15, Psalms 149-150, John 1; Luke 1:26-38[-55]
Reflections on the Lecture
Professor Utz began his lecture by briefly discussing the connections between salvation and the Christian confession of Jesus as “fully God and fully human.”Most of his session, however, entailed engaging students on the “incarnational implications” of several Christian-themed poems.
Brows furrowed as students grappled with the mystery of the Incarnation (and, of course, the mysteries of poetry…). This made the “Hallelujah” breakthrough insights all the more meaningful.
Overall, Dr. Utz emphasized God’s reaching into the world to share life with us, and he encouraged the students to take joy in an intrinsically graced world.
A couple of Dr. Utz's unique quotes...
“A creature can’t save us.” – Dr. Utz reflecting on a larger distinction between Creator and Creation and how the Incarnation bridges that gap.
“OK, that didn’t work, let’s try again.” – God, reflecting on Jesus assuming the role of the second Adam.
“God thought it was worthwhile to come to earth. That means we are worthwhile too.”
“Aha, I’ve got you now!” – Dr. Utz relishing an unexpected extension in his plenary session.
Overheard in the halls of the divinity school...
After today’s lecture on the incarnation, Meredith Workman put forward a provocative question. She asked, “how could Jesus be fully human and fully divine if he was without sin?”
Joe Lallier remarked to his mentor group, “Are the holy scriptures holy in themselves, or do they point to something holy?”
While observing a few students from DYA, a member of T.I.P. (another group on Duke’s campus) remarked to their friend, “I think they’re a religious camp…” – It’s good to know that we look a bit different.
What's ahead...
We have a lot to look forward to tomorrow. Dr. Stanley Hauerwas will be lecturing on the Passion and in the afternoon is the Arts Village.
Be sure to check out our next post – it looks to be a good one.
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