Semlog 1
The Semlog is a new series I’m instituting here that will chronicle the goings-on of my life at McCormick Theological Seminary. (Read more about my discernment and theological position.)
McCormick is unique among U.S. theological education in that our physical campus space is shared. Our main campus building is connected to — and housed on the land of — the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago. Ecumenism and partnership are strong themes at McCormick. Many elements of our seminary life are shared between the schools: worship occurs in Augustana Chapel, the library space is merged (and includes holdings from the now-defunct Jesuit School, which was merged in with the Catholic Theological Union) and because of a burgeoning enrollment at McCormick, some of our students are housed within LSTC facilities.
Augustana Chapel, however, is rife with symbolism. Being mere blocks from Lake Michigan, one can feel the inspiration of the lake’s movement in the design of the stained glass. The chapel faces south, with untinted windows on the sides of the platform to remind us that our ministry is rooted in service to the world. The sounds of a bubbling font and baptistry near the entrance to the space (with connected outdoor pool) call us to remember our covenant with God the Creator and Sustainer of life.
But it is not enough to just be moved within sacred space. As Christians, we are to move from that sacred space and take our calling into the world: pleading the cause of the widow and the orphan, being in service to the poor and distressed, walking gently upon the earth, and demonstrating unyielding love, compassion and peace.
Being in a theological environment, its easy to find yourself within that sacred space. The bubble of seminary life makes it difficult, however, to balance that with the sacred calling. Its easy to complain. Its easy to live in passive justice. Its easy to criticize and fall prey to the same dynamics we are called to change.
…Learn to do good; seek justice, rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan, plead for the widow. -Isaiah 1:17
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Daniel Ross-Jones serves as Minister for Youth & Young Adults at First Congregational Church of Palo Alto, United Church of Christ. Living in the San Francisco Bay Area for a time still measured in months, he is frequently getting lost and discovering treasures of a landscape very different from his Upper Midwestern roots. Green Jello Hotdish is a blog exploring the intersections of his days. 
