For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.” Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. ~ 1 Corinthians 1:18-25
I would be remiss if I didn’t begin this post with the most important part of our family’s year - the birth of our latest son, Lincoln, on October 29! For those of you who haven’t been counting, that’s boy number four. This little man broke all the molds set by our previous boys. He wasn’t born at the same hospital as the other three, he wasn’t born on an even numbered day or in an even numbered year, he wasn’t born in the middle of the night (I assure you no one was disappointed about that), and he wasn’t baptized at Mt. Calvary. But details aside, we rejoice that the delivery went well, that everyone is home and healthy, and that Lincoln was granted an inheritance with the saints through his baptism at Zion on November 14.
Lincoln arrived two weeks before the end of the quarter which wasn’t as perfectly timed as I might have liked, but we don’t get much say in these matters, do we? The additional distraction at home and lack of consistent sleep had a noticeable effect on my focus. Thank goodness we had friends and family to help watch the children and bring meals while I was still in class. I hate to think how much harder it would have been without that support.
I’d be lying if I said the first official quarter of studies went as I expected. The amount of information provided and the amount of work expected was far beyond anything I’ve ever experienced before. I’ve been pushed to dig deeper than I’m accustomed to doing. I’ve been challenged to think in ways I haven’t in a long time...maybe ever. I hate to miss anything because so much of it is absolutely great. The passage I chose from 1 Corinthians this month is an apt representation of how I feel. Any wisdom I thought I had has been destroyed, but I hold fast to the knowledge of Christ crucified to save believers.
Rigorous as it is, I can’t say enough what a blessing it is to be studying at CTSFW. During my seminary years I get to be constantly nourished with the Lord’s gifts of Word and Sacrament, surrounded and encouraged by fellow servants of Christ. What’s more, this is preparing me to share those gifts with others. I get a taste of that when I read the Scriptures and distribute Jesus’ blood to the members of my fieldwork church, and it’s an incredible privilege. I thank the Lord for bringing me into this calling, and I thank everyone who makes it possible for my family and me to be here.
Aside from school, life in the Baker home is good these days. We’re all grateful for a chance to spend more time together during this break. I’ve been helping with all the household chores, including homeschool with the boys. We joined a few other families for a morning of apple picking at an orchard in Ohio last week and will make our first visit to the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis this week. We will not be traveling for Thanksgiving this year but have opted instead to gather with some seminary friends. I know there are some back home who are disappointed they’ll have to wait until after Christmas to meet Lincoln, but I promise he’s getting plenty of love from his brothers.
At the risk of sounding cliché, I’ll go ahead and say I can’t believe we’ve come to the end of another year. Watch for a new blog post and letters to our sponsoring churches late next month.
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