“like roses in the days of first fruits,
like lilies by a spring of water,
like a green shoot on Lebanon on a summer day …”
(Ecclesiasticus 50:8)
Lutherans and other Protestants do not typically quote from the Apocrypha, but I couldn’t resist the imagery in this delightful verse from Ecclesiasticus. (The Apocryphal writings are included in the Septuagint, the Greek version of the Old Testament, but not in the Hebrew manuscripts. They are generally accepted as part of the canon by Catholic Christians. Martin Luther did not consider them to be on the same level as the Old and New Testaments but did commend them for study.)
So what are the “green shoots” we see this summer?
Summer school started yesterday. The students who are heading out on internship at the end of the summer are taking an intensive course on Education Ministry this week, taught by our colleague Dr. Mary Hess, who serves on the faculty of Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota. We are grateful for the expertise Dr. Hess shares with our students.
The Rev. Dr. Rachel Wrenn, Assistant Professor of Biblical Studies at Trinity, is teaching a three-week long Bible survey course. While our degree-seeking students typically take two semesters of Old Testament and two semesters of New Testament, this survey course has proven to be of interest to other students. Some are taking the course for continuing education enrichment. For others, it is a “test the waters” course as they discern whether further seminary studies are in their future. We are hopeful that a few of this summer’s auditors may become full-time degree-seeking students down the road.
COVID restrictions on campus are gradually being rolled back. Professor May Schwarz has eagerly begun planning for next summer’s Tuesdays at Trinity concert series. It’s been strange not to be able to gather for Tuesdays at Trinity in June 2020 and June 2021, so we are looking forward to welcoming our music-loving friends of the seminary back on campus in June 2022. Save the dates: June 7, June 14, and June 22.
Plans for Trinity Days are underway – an on-campus Trinity Days this fall, September 23-24, 2021. Dr. Cynthia Moe-Lobeda, Professor of Theological and Social Ethics at Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary in Berkeley, California, has agreed to be our speaker. Save the dates, and stay tuned for details.
Summer is a different rhythm than the academic year, but no less busy and no less fruitful. We pray that your own summer has its share of roses, lilies, and green shoots!
The Rev. Kathryn A. Kleinhans, Ph.D.
Dean
Trinity Lutheran Seminary forms leaders for Christ’s church at work in the world.