Another Week comes to a close

It's official.  The first academic research paper of my seminary career is finished and has been uploaded.  We no longer turn papers in, you upload them and the professor's read them electronically and comment on them without ever printing the paper out.  Isn't technology awesome!  Over the past week I have spent roughly 20 hours working on a six page paper entitled, The Nicene Creed: An Important Transition in Trinitarian Doctrine of the catholic church.  Notice the little c in catholic as I'm not talking about the Roman church but the church universal of the third and fourth centuries.  I never thought that I would be reading the works of Origen, Irenaeus and other theologians and applying their theology to Trinitarian doctrine but it is such an interesting subject.  On Sunday when you recite the Nicene Creed, do you ever really think about what you are saying and why?  Although I only saw the tip of the iceberg, the research process was really an energizing experience.  

It is Sunday night and I have spent almost the entire weekend studying for my Old Testament mid-term on Tuesday afternoon.  My years of EFM have definitely helped me with this class because I am already familiar with the documentary hypothesis by Wellhausen who states that there are four sources of the Pentateuch, namely E, D, P & J.  If you don't know what I am talking about and the idea intrigues you, I strongly encourage you to take Education for Ministry (EFM).  Unfortunately, EFM can only go into so much detail and I am going deeper than my EFM experience.  I am learning about all the different myths that exist within other cultures that parallel our old testament stories.  Gilgamesh, Enuma Elish, Ugaritic,  and Baal are just a few that I am learning.  Of course, the big question that I am currently searching for is: What is the importance of learning the stories?  What do these stories tell about our Christian history?  When I come up with a good answer, I'll let you know.  

Each class at seminary is not really that difficult.  Unfortunately, I am taking and so the workload is incredible.  After studying all day, I am now researching a paper for my Greek class.  In this paper, I am looking at Matthew 7:1-14.  In this paper, I am supposed to explore the passage in English looking at 3 translations to see where words were translated differently.   I then pick two words to look at how they were translated from the original Greek and what the difference could be if the translators would have chosen a different English word.  I just started this process but again, I find it very interesting to see how a word choice many years ago can effect how modern Christians interpret the bible.  

Of course, it is Sunday so that means that I went to visit another church this morning.  This morning, three other seminarians and I walked down to Bart and took public transportation to St. Aidan's Episcopal Church in San Francisco.  St. Aidan's is a smaller Episcopal church in a relatively new neighborhood.  The sanctuary was open with no fixed pews, altar or organ.  The entire space is flexible.  It was also the first church that I have ever attended that uses a Xylophone and a piano for music.  It was  so enjoyable to listen to the music that I found myself forgetting to sing.  The parish definitely sees Christ in everyone and ministers to all people.  They started a before and after school program for the neighborhood so parents had a safe place for their children, they provide food to both the homeless as well as to the neighbors, they have a Sunday night service called Community of Traveler's which is a "contemplative ancient-future progressive Christo-centric" service.  They also have weekly fellowship called Sacred Cocktails at a local watering hole.  As we were leaving, each of us were given a welcome bag which included some information about the church as well as a personal loaf of sourdough bread.  The bread was welcome relief  for my stomach because I ate mine while waiting for the bus to come.  As is my usual custom, I took a few pictures of the building as well as the sanctuary.  I hope you enjoy.