Untitled Sermon

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Wow, those four years went by so… much exactly like 4 years. It went by fast but also so slow. Somehow anytime I spent writing papers, the bulk of which was spent time procrastinating I’m afraid, seems to have zoomed by. But on the other hand, I feel like I've been part of this community a good portion of my life.

As a side note, just so everyone's clear, this is not the valedictorian address. Don't do as I did, don't procrastinate kids. Just because I made it through and doesn't mean I know how I made it through.

Bethlehem has high expectations of its students, academically, and spiritually. And sometimes that rigorous education can leave us feeling like we don't understand the second part of education in serious…Joy, that's right. I have had to come face to face with my fallen frailty here at Bethlehem more than anywhere else in my life. Which, paradoxically, is why I appreciate the intensity and quality of Bethlehem’s education. Not so much because I enjoy coming face to face with my ineptitude, but because what we studied provided the answer.

I am passionately grateful for wonderful, god-fearing professors like Zach Howard and Jonathan Bowers who demonstrated to us what faith seeking understanding looked like lived out. The centrality of Christ in our education cultivated the centrality of Christ in our lives, producing a deep seated Joy in Him.

In all of what we have learned in our theological education here, one truth has stood out among the rest. Even though I now know the complexities of the difference between in infralapsarianism and supralapsarianism, or now know the nuances between the Genitive of means or the Genitive of instrument in Greek. (Just kidding, I still can't understand Greek grammar well as what I just said was complete nonsense)

Of all of the doctrine we’ve learned, the most Central thing that the Lord has pressed upon me is the simple yet magnificent beauty of Christ. The most important thing I learned was the same thing taught in every in every Sunday School. What a joy it is to be made to love Jesus. That's it, that's most important duty in our live is to love Jesus because he first loved us.

Our studies here cultivated my love for Christ in that every time we read our doctrine or wrote wrestling with the theologies of our faith, or read the great masterpieces of literature, there was Christ. I found him every time there at the climax. Christ as true Israel, Christ as comforter, Christ as the inbreaking of the eschaton. I couldn't avoid him and I rejoice at finding him unavoidable. And in his finding of me, I discovered my joy.

I remember early on in doctrine 1 with professor Crutchmer he told us "The fact that you are here in this class is because God wants you here" It was no accident or coincidence that brought us all here. God has us here learning for a reason. And as part of that reason I remember something else that Crutchmer told us. He told us that by the very fact we were learning theology we now had the commission to go and build up the church with it. No matter what our vocation would be, no matter where we were found ourselves What we learned here at Bethlehem wasn't for Bible trivia nights, it wasn't even just for our own edification. It was for the sake of the Kingdom.

And that's what we're going to do now. Having been equipped we are to go out. And I know we've joked in our class about devising some sort of scheme to keep everybody together. And I think that's a good thing. Because here in our time together I think we've gotten a real taste of the blessing of the fellowship of believers. We have feasted together, encouraged one another, comforted each other and pointed each other to Christ. And that has been a wonderful blessing. But it is a blessing that we ought to share with others. As God takes us where he may, we should replicate the community that we had here at Bethlehem and even make it look even more like the great wedding supper of the Lamb when we will meet again.

Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen