At a Glance
Theme:
Life in the Spirit: The Church as a Community of Reconciliation
Faculty Speaker:
Dr. Ellen Davis, professor of Bible and practical theology
Lectionary Texts:
Genesis 18:1-8; Psalm 82; Ephesians 2:11-22; Luke 14:12-23
DYA staff member Hannah Bonner helps run the carnival at ATUMC |
DYA students and fellows at work in Anathoth Community Garden |
Students lead the worship procession with song and dance |
Reflections on the Lecture
As the DYA students worked to prepare for a global praise service in the evening, it seemed appropriate that Dr. Ellen Davis should begin her discussion of reconciliation with the statement that "global integration is the major challenge facing the church." Dr. Davis proceeded to explain how global integration in our time is connected to and integral to Christ's ministry of reconciliation. As Professor Davis described her relationship with Renk Theological Seminary in Sudan and how her relationship with the Sudanese has developed, she challenged the students to explore how they might find entry points to Scripture just as the Sudanese find an entry point in Isaiah.
In connecting to reconciliation, Davis expressed her wonder that while the Sudanese may challenge God, they never say there is no God as others often do. Thus, reconciliation was presented – not through definitions, but through the story of how Christians from other locations found their family in Sudan as they learned what it means to be knit together in God's family.
Quotable Quotes
"They wouldn't be budged - not only because they were a great deal larger than me..."
— Dr. Davis speaking of why the Sudanese insisted on learning Hebrew and Greek to translate into their dialects)
"Community becomes real, not just a felt ideal, when you begin to love people."
— Dr. Davis during plenary
“Paul, I’m going dancing. Are you coming with me?”
— A male DYA student recruiting staff for the sacred dance class
Other Activities
This afternoon we headed out for our second service projects around Durham. While different groups returned to the various sites we visited last week, one group of students returned to the same site, Asbury Temple UMC, to run a carnival for kids as a gesture of hospitality to the east Durham community. More than 100 children and families showed up for an afternoon of games, activities and a cookout dinner. In the evening, students led worship with a distinctive international feel, and we welcomed the Rev. Jeremy Troxler, director of the Thriving Rural Communities initiative, to the pulpit.
What’s Ahead...
Tomorrow, Professor Esther Acolatse will teach on heeding the Spirit’s prompting. As we continue our exploration of the work of the Spirit, students will select one final, advanced Arts Village workshop to attend this afternoon before heading into their final prayer practices session. In the evening, students will again lead worship, with the Rev. Rebekah Eklund and the Rev. Errick Baldwin preaching and presiding.
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