AN INWARD TRANSFORMATION
by Joshua E. Casul (Senior)
Scripture Text: 2 Corinthians 3:18
INTRODUCTION
It is my honor to preach before the greatest
women and men of the theological realm in the country. I am also grateful that
I am given this opportunity to share to you my views in the words of our God
through this sermon.
In the ecclesiastical calendar of the United
Church of Christ in the Philippines, the month of February is emphasize as the
Membership Month. And also this coming Sunday the church emphases is on the
transfiguration of our Lord Jesus the Christ. The transfiguration of Jesus
Christ was a powerful demonstration of His divine nature and manifestation of
His glory, which Jesus possessed prior to coming to earth in the human body.
However, I will not focus on the event of Jesus’ transfiguration rather I would
like to focus on the transformation of the seminarians in the formation center
especially in the Silliman University Divinity School.
The Silliman University Divinity School is a
premier theological formation center known and recognize not only in the
country but also in different parts of the world. In its mission statement the
SUDS is “committed to train and enable people to be drawn into God’s mission in
the world and prepare them for leadership in the church, church related
institutions, and the society.”
Here, in this sermon I would like to share to
you sisters and brothers the three primary transformation the students get
while in the formation center, and how it affect the whole-being of the
students.
BODY
I. A TRANSFORMATION OF THE MIND
Coming and enrolling in the formation center
is not an easy decision. It takes series of reflection and contemplation before
one could say yes or no. Coming near to God is very hard for some especially
those who doubt the realities of God. Regular attendance to worship services,
Sunday schools, Bible studies and so on are not basis for one to claim that
he/she is near to God, nor a basis for one to claim that he/she is
knowledgeable.
The formation center for theological studies
is establish in order to develop a person to be knowledgeable and equip them
with certain ideas about the realities of God and the creation. The students
are thought in the fields of theology, Biblical studies, music and ministries,
pastoral care, history and ethics. The professors in the formation center are
all qualified to teach the ones who want to enrich their knowledge. The
formation center assess and align courses that will help the students to speak
theologically, to prove biblically, and to be historically accurate.
I remember the time when our former
conference minister asked me to become a pastor and enroll in the SUDS. It took
me some time, and to be accurate it took me three month to decide. But since I
became active in our local church, our former conference minister who was once
our pastor called me “pastor” every time we saw each other. So I asked my
family, my friends, and some local church members about entering the formation
center. Then I accepted the call during Christmas day of 2014.
The decision was not easy for me because I
need to stop my studies in order to transfer school and shift to a different
course. Back then I was taking a degree in travel management at the Cebu
Technological University. I wasn’t expecting what kind of student life I would
about to embark. I was doubtful because I am not knowledgeable in terms of
theological studies, for I only know the basics back then based from the church
educational programs and the television. But as the years pass-by, the
formation center truly transforms my mind, and the minds of its former and
current student. We are not only thought theological by our professors, because
they also thought us about practical ways of becoming a pastor, a theologian,
and as a person.
II. A TRANSFORMATION OF THE HEART
Most of us know that Christianity is the
religion of love. And the central theme of the sacred scripture is based on the
love of God towards the entire creation. The sacred scripture began with the
formation of the entire creation which God considered as good and pleasing to
the eyes. The succeeding events written in the sacred scripture tells us about
the salvific act of God towards the people and the rest of the creation because
God loves them, and God continues to love us. In the time of our Lord Jesus the
Christ, He expressed towards the people and the creation that God still wants
them to return to what is righteous and pleasing to God. Jesus Christ was
crucified in order to fulfil God’s eternal salvation, and Jesus Christ
resurrection was the seal of that salvific act.
Knowing and claiming the salvation God gives
us, we understand that God unconditionally loves us. The formation center is
called to transform each person who enters it, and become a person who is
loving and caring not only for his/herself but for the rest of the creation.
The formation center develops programs like koinonia
gatherings that would strengthen the bond of each students and faculty
together, sponsors topic seminars that would awaken the awareness of the
students and faculty to different issues concerning human and creation
struggles, initiate outreaches to different societies in need for the students
and faculty to be kind and generous, and there are many other programs the
formations center develops.
In the formation center we are transformed to
become a person who are loving and caring. I remember the time when I was in my
first year in the formation center, I found a person whom I admired but we were
no destined to be together. As many months and years pass-by, I realize that I
am different, and maybe God did not intend me and the person I admired to be
together because of my difference. There were many person whom I met and became
a special person in my life while I’m in the formation center, but it didn’t
last long. I was very disappointed to myself why I’m doing this to my own self.
But then, God spoke to me, many time. God told me to patiently wait for the
right time is coming. And while I’m waiting I must show to every person whom I
will meet that I love them because God loves me. God is right because I already
found the right time that God said that was coming.
Let’s not focus on my personal life, because
it’s just an example. We all have different kind of stories of love while in
the formation center. What I am trying to emphasize is that in the formation
center, we will find the love that we are asking for. It is the love of God who
transcends beyond our expectations. The formation center transforms us to love
and be loved. The students love the professors, and the professors love their
students. The role of the formation
center is not only to form students to become intellectuals but also to become
emotionally balance.
III. A TRANSFORMATION
OF THE WORK
Many non-Protestant claim that we are off
beam in our understanding about our own belief that through the grace of God
and our faith we are saved. They refute that in order to be save, one must
perform good works. Indeed it is written in the sacred scripture, in the words
of James that faith without works is dead (2:17). But, are we fully aware what
the passage in James is trying express? If we recognize that faith is dead
without work, we affirm that work is a prerequisite to faith. It’s like taking
a New Testament I course as a prerequisite to New Testament II course. And you
can’t proceed with the latter before taking the former. So do we affirm that we
need to do works before we begin to have faith? We Protestants do good work as
a result of our strong and solid faith.
The formation center does not only develop
the students’ knowledge but it also opens the consciousness of the students to
be socially engage. Many think that the formation life is so boring and so
secluded, but they are all mistaken. The formation life is so unique and
fun-filled because of its community engagement and social awareness. The
students are immerse in different types of social setting and community
environment like the inter-religious community, ecumenical community,
industrial community, rural community, and societies in special need. The
students don’t only just engage but also expected to learn from the experiences
and to reflect it to the present state of his/her life and the community he/she
belong. Engaging in social awareness and welfare is an act of continuing the
ministry of our Lord Jesus the Christ.
When we were sent to Zamboanga City in 2018
for our summer exposure, I and my fellow-exposurist were supervised by an
experience community organizer, ecumenical involver, mission climber and a good
father both to the church and his family. His name is Rev. Arturo Veladiez of
the UCCP-Ecumenical Center Church. We were exposed to the Muslim community in
Sama Bangingi Island, in the Inter-Faith community in the city, in Peace
Advocacy NGOs, DSWD Centers and few depressed person in the community. I remember
Rev. Veladiez saying, Ang tinud-anay nga
ministeryo dili makita sulod sa upat ka haligi sa simbahan kundi naa sa gawas.
Our Summer Clinical Pastoral Education 2019
put into work the theories our professor thought us in our clinical counseling
courses. We were exposed to three of the biggest tertiary hospitals in
Dumaguete City and two government rehabilitation center. There, we heard the
stories of the patients, guardians and the staffs of the facilities. In the
whole duration of the summer program we were able to process our own self. And
it was very helpful because we were able to know ourselves before going to the
pastoral fields as interns.
CONCLUSION
As a conclusion, sisters and brother I want
to reiteration that the formation life is not boring and secluded as what
others perceive it. The formation center is establish in order to transform
lives of those who enters it. And those transformed lives will be heralds of
transformation to their respective fields where God destined them to be. The
formation center transforms our mind to be knowledgeable and be equip in the
aspects of theology and relationship. The students transform their lives to love
and be loved because the formation center allows them experience love. And
because of the knowledge and love they receive from the formation center,
students engage in social awareness and welfare as a continuation of Christ’s
ministry. It is my honor to say that I am grateful and proud to the Silliman
University Divinity School for transforming me as a person I am now. A person
transformed in mind, love, and work. I am hoping and praying that as soon as we
leave the halls of Silliman, roam the world near or far, may we continue to
transform our lives where God destined us to. Thank you our beloved formation
center, Silliman University Divinity School. Amen.
Comments
Post a Comment