More than we can imagine

I love the Prayer after Communion in The Book of Alternative Services

"Glory to God,

whose power, working in us

can do infinitely more

than we can ask or imagine..."

I often need to remind myself of the power and truth of this prayer. When I look back on my life I realize that I have been able to do things that I never could have imagined doing. In moments when we get stuck and think there is no way forward - no other possible way to be or become - we need to pray this prayer. When we leave the Eucharist and get ready to embody what we have seen and heard, we need to open ourselves to the remarkable possibility that this prayer is not just a bunch of lovely words, but rather that this prayer speaks the deepest truth, the one that we want to avoid; the reality that we are called, enabled and equipped to be so much more. We are called to be infinitely more than we ask, infintely more than we imagine through the power of the only One who truly knows our potentiality.

Theological Education

I have been thinking about reimag(in)ing theological education. Why are we so set on doing things in the way they have always been done? Is there another way to do it?

I remember the shock, delightful shock, when I realized that one of the post-secondary school I attended was actually interested in my needs, in meeting me where I was. Sure, they had rigourous standards that needed to be met, but there was also the acknowledgement that I was a person who may have particular needs. The program met the requirements but was flexible enough to fit me.

What if we looked at what our aims in theological education and set up programs that met people where they were and addressed the questions and needs they have while still maintaining appropriate standards? Is this an impossible dream? I really don't think so.