Harmony of Grace

Image Source:  Stefan Kunze One of the benefits of studying at a Seminary is that we get to attend chapel services six days a week. Every year we get to hear the lectionary being preached by more than 120 Seminarians and Ministers from a wide variety of contexts with varying theological beliefs. As great a privilege as this is, there are many days where I just do not feel like going to church. There have been many reasons for this. Perhaps I have a couple of assignments due that week or I am simply not a fan of the person scheduled to preach. I am sure that I am not the only one who has experienced this. Sometimes after a late night on a Saturday, we would prefer to wake up late on a Sunday morning. Sometimes we would prefer to join our friends for a round of golf or brunch than attend our local church service. I am in no way denying that certain urgent matters might cause us to miss the occasional church service. However, Sunday worship services are the lifeblood of b...

Image Source:  Emma Francis "We are not creatures of destinations, it is the journey that shapes us" ( Oathbringer ) It is amazing how often fictional stories connect with us on a deep spiritual level. I am currently reading a series of books by Brandon Sanderson called The Stormlight Archive . In it, the heroes of the story are required to speak a series of words in order to obtain access to their powers. They then live their lives to honour their spoken words. The first words that they speak are: "Life before death, strength before weakness, journey before destination." While I believe I could write a blog post on why each of these sentences is pertinent as we seek God, it is the third line that resonates with me most:  Journey before destination. We tend to spend large portions of our time thinking ahead to the end of our lives and where we want to (or don't want to) end up. While I am in no way demeaning the importance of considering our et...