The stumbling journey onward

With two of my students in Ethiopia

Before coming to EMU three years ago for graduate studies, I could hardly imagine that someday soon I would sense God calling me to be a teacher. The development of this sense has oftentimes been painful, but just as often, it has been exhilarating. My call to the set-aside ministry in the church, which preceded our coming to Virginia, has always been strong, but the steps along the way and the direction it’s heading are often frustratingly elusive.

I suppose this is consistent with the experience of the beloved community in Scripture. The progenitors of it all, Abram & Sarai, were compelled by a god, Yahweh, that they did not yet know into a journey they could not fathom, into lands that God would show them. That Israel, Jesus its Messiah, and his Church should follow in that tradition is a testament to trust and faithfulness, particularly from God’s end of the covenant.

So after stumbling along as a first-time teacher to ministers in Ethiopia, I returned home marveling at the joy I experience while teaching. Encouragement to continue on is met with excitement and frustration as I continue to discern what shape this may take after graduation in the spring.

[This post was prepared for use in worship at Park View Mennonite Church, Sunday, October 23, 2011. The lead pastor, Phil Kniss, asked for a strict limit of 200 words. In worship, this reflection will be delivered along with five others, whose reflections will together answer: 1) "How experiences or practices in my past have formed my understanding of what it means to be a follower of Jesus," 2) "What practices I currently engage in that nurture me and help me grow in my formation as a follower of Jesus," and 3) "Ways I believe God is calling me into new experiences or practices that are changing and stretching me in my formation as a follower of Jesus." This reflection falls in the third category.]