At a Glance
Theme:
Life in the Spirit: Living into God’s Call
Faculty Speaker:
Rev. Dr. Warren Smith, assistant professor of historical theology
Lectionary Texts:
Jeremiah 1:4-10; Psalm 103; 1 Corinthians 3-4:1; Matthew 10:1-14
The DYA community celebrates a student birthday |
A student talks with Dr. Smith following plenary |
Director Fred Edie leads closing worship |
Reflections on the Lecture
In our final plenary gathering Dr. Warren Smith taught us to merge our thinking about vocation (God's call on our life now) and eschatology (the end-times that await us). As Christians who remember and participate in Christ's incarnation, crucifixion, and resurrection, we are called to live lives that are a present witness to the hope of the coming Kingdom of God. We live with an eye for God’s final purposes for the world made possible by Christ’s resurrection. In terms of our vocation we must think less of a job which we choose, but rather of job for which we are chosen. Further, vocation is not necessarily something you seek, but something that God seeks out for you.
Dr. Smith conveyed that the most important dogma we must agree on regarding eschatology is that Christ was raised bodily from the dead and that we will be raised bodily. What does bodily resurrection mean for us? Jesus' resurrection becomes the prototype for our resurrection. His resurrection inaugurates the period of resurrection. This doctrine means that, in light of Jesus having been raised from the dead, Christians grieve death with hope – the hope that looks forward to when we will all be redeemed.
Finally, Dr. Smith commented on the impact of vocation and eschatology on marriage and sex. While these things are reminders that God made us in God’s own image, neither are acts that will be included as part of our final redemption. He challenged us to think differently in light of the resurrection about how we view and use our bodies in our life on earth.
Quotable Quotes
“When ‘hope’ is used in the New Testament, it means the confident expectation that God will fulfill God’s promises to God’s people.”
— Dr. Warren Smith during plenary
“Now THERE is a pregnant passage. And so now I’m going to help Paul give birth.”
— Dr. Smith explicating Romans 8:18-25
“When we look at Jesus raised from the dead, we look into the mirror. We see what we shall become. This is why, for the early church, resurrection is central to any understanding of salvation.”
— Dr. Smith, on the centrality of resurrection to the Church
“Go now in love to serve God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.”
— The prayer of anointing during our final evening worship service
Other Activities
Following an inspiring plenary lecture by Dr. Smith, we spent the afternoon packing up, playing outside, and relaxing with friends. In the evening, we had a special closing worship service, in which Assistant Director Katherine Smith preached and Faculty Director Fred Edie presided over Holy Communion. Each student was anointed with oil as an exhortation to take up our baptismal ministry as we leave the DYA. After our final mentor groups time together, we enjoyed ice cream sundaes outside
What’s Ahead...
It has been a blessing to share this journey with you! Go in peace, and we’ll see you at the DYA reunion Feb. 20-22, 2009.
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