Saturday, February 16, 2008

You Have Done Well, Young Padawan...

Wanted to link to a sermon by a former student of mine here. Viewers in the future, you will want to find her post of Feb. 15, 2008 in order to read it. She's got some personal journaling stuff at the top of the post you are welcome to read or skip past as you wish.

Despite the title of my post, I make no claims of credit for her preaching or thinking; she learned the first at seminary and the second I believe she does on her own. The title is just the best pop-culture reference regarding teacher/learner I could come up with on short notice. Again, just breeze on by.

Elizabeth's sermon, on the other hand, is well worth reading, and it's neat for me because this is one of those times when I get to learn something from someone whom I helped teach. Learning from those who've gone before you is a good thing, and I doubt we do it enough as we hurry through speeded-up lives, faster online connections, crammed schedules and try to look for the next neat thing.

But there is a special quality in learning from one's pupils that I've been blessed to experience several times over my years in ministry, and I offer thanks for each such chance, as well as thanks that I managed to be aware enough at the time to see it was happening.

If we achieve, we do so in part with our own gifts, but also because we were the beneficiaries of the gifts of many who went before us to bring us to where we are now. Indeed, we stand on the shoulders of giants.

And sometimes, we get hints of the giants who will stand on our shoulders as they reach for their future as well.

PS -- Yes, there are typos. But no one can hear typos when you preach.

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