Emotional Translation

The other day I was alternately weeping and translating, translating and weeping. In a former season, it was because of how difficult the exercise was. This week, it was for the beauty and grace, love and worship, and sense of calling revealed to me in the pages of Luke as I translated.

This is why I came to seminary. This is why I serve the Lord. This is why I love Jesus.

"And answering, Simon said: Master, through the whole night we were toiling and growing exceedingly weary, and we caught nothing. But at your word, I will let down the nets.

When they had done this, they enclosed a multitude, many fish, and their nets began breaking through. And they signaled to the partners in the other boat for them to come and help them. And they came and they filled both the boats until they began to sink."

(Hear Peter's response:)

"After seeing this, Simon Peter fell down to the knees before Jesus saying, 'Depart from me, because a sinful man am I, lord.' For amazement had seized him and all those with him because of the catch of fish which they had caught. And likewise, also James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon."

(And the response of Christ:)
"And Jesus said to Simon, 'Do not fear; from now on, you will be a catcher of men.'

And when they had brought down the boats to land, they left everything and followed him."

First, I was overwhelmed by Peter's response to seeing Jesus perform a miracle-- the miracle of catching fish. Peter had worked and toiled the whole night, growing weary as he attempted but was unsuccessful at catching even one fish. Jesus uses this same action of fishing to then demonstrate what working in the Kingdom will look like. On our own, we are unable to bring the Gospel to even one man. But with the miraculous working of the Holy Spirit in us, we will see many receive the Good News of the saving work of Jesus Christ. We just obey. At his word, let down the nets. And man, will that boat of ours fill to sinking.

This isn't a numbers game. It is a raw obedience, receiving grace, witnessing God's power, leaving everything to follow him kind of moment. How do we respond to such an amazing gift? I have taken my cue from Peter, and his beautiful confession. What descriptive words-- he falls down in front of, says the verb, and to his knees, Luke additionally describes, before Jesus. Proclaiming his unworthiness of such an outpouring of Jesus' power. May I have such awe.

(Passage is my rough translation of Luke 5:5-11)

Take aways from my first year in seminary...

Wisely, Larry suggested we spend the first Saturday after the end of our first year reflecting. We move on so quickly-- it is good to stop and remember. What better place to stop and reflect than a fabulous coffee shop on the coast?!

Here is a sampling of the things I am remembering from finishing my first year here (in no particular order):

1. Julian of Norwich. I am certain that I will love her tremendously when given the opportunity to meet. She was recommended to me by both my spiritual director/friend in the Pierce Fellowship as well as my church history professor, Dr. Adams. I spent a significant amount of time last semester hearing from her in her autobiography, Revelations of Divine Love. The primary thing I walked away with from her testimony was the power in reflection on how the Lord has revealed himself to us.

2. The need to retell God's story. This was Dr. Carol Kaminski's commission to the graduates of GCTS this year. She is a powerful story-teller! We took her January term Old Testament Survey. It was a hard class to cover in 2 weeks, but we powerfully experienced the Lord as author of the most incredible story ever written. I especially grew to love books I had barely read before: Ezekiel is scandalous!!; Proverbs has valuable lessons; Jonah encourages us to see God's love for the Gentiles, etc.

3. A new found passion for running! We love that the people here in the Northeast are outside in every season! I have taken up running, exploring every nook and cranny of the Northshore. I have found this to not only be healthy, but relaxing, reflective, and illustrative of what it is to persevere in the Christian life. It probably should have been that my greatest feeling of accomplishment came Monday after turning in my last paper of the year; instead, it was the 4.6 mile run I made the same weekend! I especially love how ironic this is because in September, when I first started jogging, I was teaching a group of college students telling them I would never know a runner's high. I still haven't experienced it, but I feel like I'm a huge step closer!

4. The love of discovery. One of our classes, Educational Ministry in a Cultural Perspective, required an ethnography project. While our official topic was fascinating, we found ourselves discovering even more about ourselves and inter-culturally with our Korean teammate. So not only do I love baklava, I also love Korean citron tea!

5. In partnership with Julian's need to reflect, I have also discovered the gift of Sabbath rest. We were instructed by our Pierce training not just to stop-- that is only the beginning of Sabbath. But also, we need to remember, embrace who God has made us to be, and celebrate Him! Reflecting on Hebrews 6:9-11, Sue Currie encouraged us that "Sabbath gets us in touch with what's waiting for us." So we practice being who he made us to be, and celebrate him!

As mentioned, these five things are but a sampling. Deeper thoughts can be seen through previous blogs (which I posted through Gordon-Conwell's website), and there will certainly be more reflections over the summer. I encourage you to take some time to reflect on your own past twelve months. God's blessings to you in your pursuit of him. I would love to hear some of your favorite moments from the past year!

announcement! we're moving!

It's official. We are Boston Bound!

There's so much wrapped into this move that it's difficult to begin posting about it. I've been writing less because I wasn't ready to announce, but I wasn't sure what else to talk about! So there you are. On August 31, 2009, we will be waving our final good-byes to our beloved city.

Just one serious thought I would like to share on the matter-- Larry has been teaching on Revelation this summer. Throughout our discussions and study, the topic of eternity has been on the forefront of our minds. The floodgates of emotion broke loose Monday night after I left a group of women I deeply love. I recognized, the more I thought about it, that in the moments of prayer we shared, the Lord was sealing those friendships for eternity. Temporally, we won't be together every Thursday night. However, because the foundation of our friendship is in Christ, we have all eternity to be together. This is resonating in me-- not as a cliche, but as a deep truth and beautiful hope. I am still in the process of being so sad about the friends we are leaving, but I am thankful for their foundations and for what is to come, both in Boston and in the life hereafter!

On a lighter note, I would love your recommendations for Boston!! And we would love to keep in touch with you if you'd like. We send out a newsletter email periodically. Please email me at meganhackman(at)gmail.com if you would like to receive those. And if you're already up north, we can't wait to see you!!!

PS Just realized I haven't said why we are moving-- Larry and I are both enrolling at Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary. The whys and hows of that we will save for another day!