5.10.08 - DTS Graduation
After years of papers, classes, and endless reading seminary is finally over and I’ve now got my degree sitting next to my backpack. What a journey it has been!
I can’t even begin to express both how thankful I am to have received such responsibility for the Word of God, and the fear of how to handle that responsibility. DTS classes are quite rigorous and I can testify to many nights of feeling overwhelmed and pushed to the max.
The ceremony for graduation was great; it is such an honor to receive the Christian tradition from those I so highly respect, and to be part of something that feels much larger than yourself. It was very was special to sing the school song “Crown Him Lord of All” with all the voice both from those who have traveled the seminary path with me and those who have supported us along the way.
The ThM degree is a Masters of Theology and is the intermediate degree between the MDiv and PhD (although I don’t intend on working for a PhD anytime soon). With a hefty credit load of 120hrs, to be finished with it is a bit surreal.
As I was sitting there during the ceremony, I thought on how much I would cherish this degree, and to be quite honest, all I could really think about was our brand new baby. He is so much more of a gift and blessing that any thing else I could receive.
The timing for having baby Micah couldn’t have been better. He was literally born on my last day of classes – so along with the graduation event, my parents came down to mainly see the baby. Having them here made graduation even more special, as this is truly a milestone moment in our life.
It feels less transformative than a college graduation, which could be because there was much more work involved, but graduation from DTS feels more like just a mile marker than the end of a race. Even though I may be finished with all the papers and reading, I plan on continuing in the disciplines which I have gained from my 4 years here. And in that spirit, graduation is perhaps understood as the recognition of competency which will encourage me to remain sharp, driven, and humble throughout my ministry.
