Marking Time
One of the strange things about your last year in a place is that somehow, everything becomes about marking the passage of time. You begin noticing the last time. The last time I registered for fall classes. The last time I auditioned for choir. The last time I attended convocation. It is strange, because I just feel like I am starting to make sense of what it means to be here, to be in seminary; and now I am getting ready to not be here.
It was not that long ago that my moments of marking time were beginnings. I was excited when I made it through my first summer of Greek. I was excited when I was accepted into a church internship program. I was excited when I survived CPE (hospital chaplaincy). But now, my moments of excitement are much more about preparing for what(ever) comes next. Three of these moments stand out to me.
Senior Chapel Service
This year I, like all seniors, was invited to preach at one of our daily chapel services. This is a huge honor, but also a huge responsibility. There is no doubt when you preach to a chapel full of seminarians and professors that you have little room for mistakes. I was lucky to have an amazing group of friends and colleagues by my side to help lead worship. If you would like to watch the service (or listen to/read the sermon), you can do so right here.
Ordination Exams
One of the major moments for senior seminarians, at least in the Presbyterian church, is the taking of the Senior Ordination Exams, or "ords." These exams test knowledge and application of what we have learned in seminary and our ability to use it in a pastoral context. There are four exams: Theology, Polity (Church Government), Worship & Sacraments, & Original Language Exegesis (scripture study in Greek or Hebrew). Over the last two weeks I took the final three exams (I had already passed Worship), and it was an exhausting process. Between the three exams I wrote well over 20 pages of responses discussing everything from church finance rules to why we preach in worship to a more in-depth study of Psalm 139 than I even knew was possible. We now wait in anticipation for the results and comments from the official readers. If I receive "satisfactory" marks on all of the exams, I will be cleared to move toward final assessment for ordination.
UPDATE ON EXAMS
As of Monday, November 10th, I have officially passed all five ordination exams for the PC(USA)! This is an exciting moment that moves me one step closer to ordination.
Preaching at my Internship
One of the exciting things this year has been continuing for a second year as a Pastoral Ministry Intern at Thomson Memorial Presbyterian Church. This has allowed me to develop deeper relationships with some of my parishioners, be more involved in church programs, and explore areas of ministry that I am really interested in. Additionally, it has meant a few additional preaching opportunities. A few weeks ago, I was asked to preach the closing sermon in a multi-week series on spiritual conversations. I am still working on getting a high-quality recording I can upload to my site, but at the bottom of the post you can watch the video TMPC posted to YouTube.
What Comes Next?
The most common question I have been getting lately is "what are you doing after graduation?" Trust me, both my wife and I really wish we knew the answer to that! At the moment, my answer usually looks something like this: We are exploring a variety of options, all with a focus on pastoral care or solo pastor work in a Presbyterian Church. I hope to know more in the coming weeks and months as results from exams come in and meetings with my home presbytery move forward. Yes, we would love to be back in the midwest close to family and friends, but we are also open to opportunities in other places where God may call us. I have hope that we are going to be where we can do good; even if that is quite different from what we might imagine!
I hope life for you is full and joy-filled. If you find a free moment, I would appreciate your kind thoughts, prayers, phone-calls, or notes. Of course, if you find yourself in the Princeton area (really anywhere between New York City and Philadelphia), give me a call!
Until next time, Peace.
Christopher Miller preaching on 2 Timothy 1:1-10, at Thompson Memorial Presbyterian Church.