First Class

Good morning.  So I know I didn't write a post yesterday, and I apologize.  I ended the night playing cards with the guys pretty late and knew I had early morning class this morning so I opted to go to bed instead of writing.  Also though, I knew today's post would hopefully be a little longer after my first class.  

So yesterday, I slept in until noon, watched a movie with some of the guys in the lounge, ran an errand, and finish the night with guys.  The movie was Sweeney Todd, which one is a musical (not my favorite) and two is very creepy and disturbing.  If you have seen it you know what I mean.  The errand I ran was buying a back pack for school, and I did accomplish it.  Then my night with the guys last night was a blast.  It was one guy's birthday so they had gotten a bunch of food and had a grill out.  I just hung out with them and got to know a few more guys. Then when we went inside we played cards.  Now the game we played, we ended up with three different names.  Spit, Nerts, and Dutch Blitz were all accepted.  Its a really fun game, except my partner and I never won.  However, my competitive side aside, it was still fun.  

This morning I woke up in time for 7:50 A.M. class believe it or not.  The class is titled Lutheran Mind and is the introduction to our systematic's courses.  Every Tuesday both sections meet together, and then every Thursday we meet in our two individual groups.  Today Dr. Burreson, my actual professor, went through the syllabus and then Dr. Biermann (sweet name) dove right into it.  The question today was, what is a theologian?  Now the most simple answer comes from breaking apart the two Greek words that make up theologian.  Theos= God and Logos= word(s)  So "God Talk".  So it is really any talk or thoughts about God is theology.  If this statement is true, which it is, then anyone who has ever thought about God or talked about God is a theologian.  So he asked us, is an atheist a theologian? The answer is yes!  Atheist, even though denying and refusing God, actually think about God probably more than most Christians because everything in our world that even hints at God, they must stop and deny God.  So everyone who has ever thought of God is a theologian.  The seminary's goal is to form us into good, faithful theologians.  Now its important to remember this was probably an hour long lecture/discussion, and I am going to paraphrase it to the main key points.  However, I really wish every Lutheran had access to these classes and knowledge.  I guess that's my role and task, to learn it and be able to share it with fellow Christians.  One other very key point he made and I liked, was that theology is not just thoughts and an educated man sitting around with his thoughts.  Theology and practice go hand in hand.  You can't say that your theology is solid, but your practice is just a little different.  If your theology is solid, your practice will match that and show it.  Those two can not be separated.  The right theology makes us good theologians(explained down below), the right practice makes us FAITHFUL theologians.  Our goal is to be good, faithful theologians. 

So we started with what makes us good theologians?  The answer is which God you serve.  Do you serve the true God or a false God?  Then came the answer how do we know our God?  Textbook answer is of course natural and specialized revelation.  Which in laymen terms is God makes Himself known to us.  He has to.  We could not know the true God if He did not make Himself known to us.  So how does He make Himself known to us?  His fingerprints, which can be found everywhere, through the prophets and people He chose to speak of Him, and most importantly by coming to us Himself through Christ.  We reveal to others our God through language and the use of words.  This is how God revealed Himself to us, His Word.  He gave us His Word, which according to John 1, Christ is that Word.  Keep in mind that we can not go to God, we do not reach upward or move ourselves upward towards God.  He comes down to us, it is His effort and His movement that comes to us, that lets us know God.  We know God through His story.  Now we use this term story, but not with fictional, or made up connotations, but rather historical, and non-fictional events of reality.  His story from creation, through the old testament and chosen people and prophets and their falling's and His redemption to the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Christ as the pinnacle, but continued through today until His return.  This is God's story, this is how we know God, and Christ is the pinnacle.  So apart from Christ, there is no truth of God.  All of this leads up to the fact that good, faithful theologians confess the true God's (Jesus's) story!  And the formation of us by the seminary into good faithful theologians norms our story according to God's story.  Knowing and living (theology and practice together) God's story is what makes us good, faithful theologians.  

Another key point is Jesus and His story is truly the trinity.  Father created and decided to saved His fallen creation, the Son came to us to redeem us, and He came through the power of the Spirit.  You must have all three for story, and can not have the story without all three.  So when we line up our lives in God's story, use His story to know and confess who our God is, and we trust God's story over our own reasoning, we are being good, faithful theologians. 

The next part of the lecture/discussion looked at Luther's three words on this topic.  Now I know, crazy thought that a Lutheran seminary would look at what Luther had to say, but we did.  Luther used three Latin words: oratio, meditatio, and tentatio.  Dr. Biermann said the important thing about each of these three is the preposition used to explain it. Oratio is simply prayer, or talking TO God.  We know God is there, so we talk to Him.  Wither it is formal and fancy like in liturgy, or just our heart's plea for help, we talk TO God.  Meditatio is not meditation where we just sit and think in a quiet space in a funny position, but rather reflection.  Meditatio is when we think or reflect ABOUT God.  Church, Bible study, classes, individual devotion, or just a God based discussion with our peers are all reflecting and thinking ABOUT God.  This is our Meditatio.  Anywhere you have someone who talks TO God and thinks ABOUT Him, you can find the Devil trying to tear that person away from God.  The devil doesn't like it when we trust God and talk to Him and reflect on Him and try to keep ourselves close to God.  So he uses Tentatio or trials to try to derail us from God.  These trials and temptations happen to everyone who has faith.  Wither it be physical sufferings, financial troubles, personal doubt or self worthiness, or even just idleness, the Devil tries to derail us from knowing and living God's story.  

The awesome thing that Luther discovered about these three words is their pattern.  We start by talking to God, then we reflect about Him trying to know as much as we can, and then the Devil makes us pay for it.  However, it doesn't stop there, because when the Devil puts us through Tentatio, our only place to turn is back to Oratio and the cycle starts over.  By the Devil trying to make us suffer and trying to get us to turn away from God, he leaves us in this place of abandonment and loneliness, and we throw ourselves back to the foot of the cross for God's help.  The three go hand in hand.  We talk TO God, think ABOUT Him, and then when we suffer because of it, we go right back to the beginning and cry out TO Him again.  Pretty amazing how the Devil's efforts actually help strengthen our faith.  The Devil knows what to use to tempt us, and He is no dummy.  He can normally get us to sin, no doubt.  However, he may not be the brightest crayon in the box.  He may get us to stumble, but with God's protection, he will not get us to fall.  Luther called Satan God's Devil, because he forces us back to God.  Use some Meditatio about that last statement.  Then let us use Oratio, hoping for very little Tentatio today.  

Luther's Morning Prayer:

My Heavenly Father, I thank you through Jesus Christ, Your beloved Son, that You kept me safe from all evil and danger last night.  Save me, I pray, today as well from every evil and sin, so that all I do and the way that I live will please you.  I put myself in Your care, body and soul and all that I have.  Let Your holy angels be with me, so that the evil enemy will not gain power over me.  Amen.