Advent is a time of anticipation: of waiting, of watching, of hopeful expectation.
It’s also a time of darkness: the days get shorter, the nights extend, we yearn for the inbreaking of light.
The combination of anticipation and darkness is unsettling. We want to prepare, but how? We’re expecting something, but what? It’s hard to see clearly what’s coming. After all, who could predict a King born in a barn to an unwed mother, wrapped in rags, and laid to rest in a feeding trough?
In many ways, the church has been in this unsettling space of anticipation and darkness for quite some time—and Luther Seminary is no exception. We are committed to preparing faithful leaders for service in God’s church and world, but what does that look like? We are expecting God’s Holy Spirit to birth new life from our rapidly transforming institutions, but will we know it when we see it?
That’s why Advent feels like the perfect time to lean into our new vision of faithful innovation. Innovation means trying something new—entering into the darkness with hope and anticipation that the light will indeed come: Christmas morning will dawn, and Christ, the light of the world, will be present to us.
This month, explore with us just some of the ways the light already is beginning to appear in unexpected places.
In his new book, “The Grace of Dogs,” faculty member Andy Root reflects on the surprisingly spiritual connection that can be found in the relationship between humans and dogs.
Despite science and faith being pitted so often as opposites, our Mid-Winter Convocation will explore the value of putting them in dialogue, and the innovative insights that emerge when we do.
On Enter the Bible, Professor Matt Skinner reflects on how the birth narratives in Luke 1-2 reveal God’s intentions for the world—and how surprising those intentions can seem at times.
As we enter the darkest time of the year, may the hope and anticipation of Christ’s coming sustain you.