The first of the lasts

Today was the first day of my last semester of classes at Luther--and maybe my last day of classes forever, who knows? It's both an exciting and confusing time in my life. First of all, I will find out 2 weeks from today what my regional assigment is in the assignment and first call process. (For those who are not familiar with the jargon, the ELCA divides the US into geographical regions, within which there are also smaller units called synods. To see how they do it visit the ELCA website.) A few weeks after that we will receive our synodical assignment as well and sometime after that churches for interviews. Kevin and I are hopeful and anxious to get a sense of where we will be living and what we will be doing after we graduate.

Second of all, I want to make the most out of my last semester of seminary. In a few months time I will (hopefully) be serving as an ordained pastor of a congregation. In many ways this will signify that my learning is only beginning, even though my formal education is coming to an end. And I have to admit that this is all unchartered territory for both Kevin and me. We both went straight to seminary after college. Neither of us have ever been through the experiences of interviewing for full-time jobs, or paying student loan bills, or finding an apartment. I'm much more used to the stress of going to class and doing assignments and making sure that I am meeting all of the requirements to graduate and finish candidacy. But that is almost all finished now and the end is in sight. Today feels in many ways like the first of the lasts. Soon I will also be experiencing my last papers and tests, chapel services, and seminary choir practices. I pray that I will be able to appreciate the amazing opportunity of studying at seminary and getting to know my future colleages in ministry, not to mention I pray for patience and joy as I begin the first call process and move into my future life as a pastor in the ELCA.