Walking down memory lane...my Why

My computer keeps reminding me that it's full...time to purge...too much stuff, too little space. Such is the life when one writes for a living. I found this gem while sorting through my files and I thought I'd share it with y'all. This is the last paper I ever wrote for seminary. My elevator speech and my why. Enjoy.

Suzanne Stierwalt
TPM 601 Capstone
VTS S’15
   
Baptism is the foundation of our Christian vocation. It is in the baptismal waters that we are washed clean, saved from sin and the devil and granted eternal life with Christ. Through baptism we share in Christ’s life, death and resurrection and we become part of something larger than ourselves. We are integrated into a community of believers as we are adopted into God’s family. Luther argued that “God’s promise in baptism should swallow up your whole life, body and soul, and give it forth again at the last day, clad in the robe of glory and immortality” (Luther’s Works Volume 36:69). Through this baptismal call, my vocation as a disciple becomes foundational to my relationships with my family, friends and all social settings in which I am a part.  
 The Lutheran church helped me to understand Christian vocation when I affirmed my baptism at the age of 28. I made a conscious decision to actively participate in the body of Christ. Hearing the Word and being mentored helped to shape my faith. Many people played a part in this formation, affirming my sense of call with each new church. Because we receive new eyes to see and new ears to hear at baptism, I am now able to understand that God has been talking to me through this community of believers. It is the church that affirms my vocation as wife and mother by embodying the expression of God’s unconditional love through Jesus Christ. The church models Christ’s love for neighbor, which affirms my vocation as friend and colleague. In the liturgy of Affirmation of Baptism, we are asked if we intend to “follow the example of Jesus striving for justice and peace in all the earth.” I can boldly proclaim, “I will, with God’s help” because I have seen this modeled in the church, which has gone out beyond its four walls into the community. All that I do is grounded in my love for Christ and in my baptismal vows. It is my greatest desire that following the vows that were made at my baptism, that empowered by the Holy Spirit, I will follow the great commission; to baptize others and to make disciples of all nations, sharing the good news of Jesus Christ. The Constitution of the ELCA states “the Church is a people created by God in Christ, empowered by the Holy Spirit, called and sent to bear witness to God’s creative, redeeming, and sanctifying activity in the world” (4.01).  In order for the Kingdom of God here on earth to continue, the Church must make it its mission to follow the Great Commission stated in Matthew 28:16-20. We are to worship God and point to Jesus, proclaiming the Gospel of the Lord to all corners of the earth so that all may hear. We are to go and make disciples of all the nations and baptize all in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. We are to teach the nations all that Jesus has commanded. This is the mission of the Church and we must take this mission into the world. We must bear witness to the truth, that God is Father, Son and Holy Spirit, that there is one true Lord who lived and died and was resurrected for the sake of the world, and it is through Jesus that we are saved by grace through faith. 
Through right and faithful teaching, members of the Church are baptized, hear the Word of God and then are nourished by the body and blood of Jesus Christ. From font to table, we are fed so that we can go forth to proclaim the good news and care for all of God’s creation.
 
 
I am a daughter of a retired Marine Corp Sgt. Major, sister of a retired Navy sailor, wife of a Naval officer, mother to two beautiful girls and two four legged babies, a seminarian and a church leader....however, first and foremost, I am a child of God, a baptized Catholic Christian, a practicing ELCA Lutheran and a self-identified Luthopalian. Why am I telling you all of this? Because how we identify ourselves matters.  If we do not self-identify, the world will do this for us. Through the waters of my baptism, I walk wet in the world and I am reminded of how much I am loved by God. Daily, I am transformed and forgiven. By God’s grace, I am saved through faith and this doesn’t go away, ever! I am simultaneously saint and sinner and God loves me...no matter what.
 
 
Why is all that I do grounded in my baptism? Through my baptism, I was initiated into the body of Christ, and, in the Lutheran tradition, I am adopted into the priesthood of all believers, which in turn gives me a responsibility to a vocation in Christ.  “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people, in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” 1Pet 2:9
 From the ELCA Constitution, 7.11: “This church affirms the universal priesthood of all its baptized members...this church commits itself to the equipping and supporting of all its members for their ministries in the world and in this church. It is within this context of ministry that this church calls some of its baptized members for specific ministries in this church.”
Paul says “For as in one body we have many members, and not all the members have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another” (Romans 12:4). Gods calls each of us into this priesthood through our baptism, and we are set apart according to our varied gifts of the Spirit. We all have a different function, and we are less if any are missing as we all work for the benefit of the body. In the Gospels, all Christians are mandated to be a witness, to “go and tell,” for the Church is preserved only by hearing and retelling of God’s Word. The body of Christ’s mission is to proclaim the good news of God’s love and forgiveness shown to us through Christ, and to give glory to God. We are all part of the whole, and we are connected in ways that we cannot realize: but the goal is that the body continues in a healthy way. Without these varieties of ministry, we would not be a Church.
At Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, I have served as“resident seminarian” for over two years. I co-led the Confirmation program for the past two years, I preach regularly and I offer Spiritual Direction to a few of the parishioners. I am seen by the congregants as one who has a sense of authority, and frankly, it is a bit terrifying. I do not have all of the answers. However, I endeavor to approach my theological education with an open heart, striving to soak up all of the knowledge afforded to me by Virginia Theological Seminary, the Lutheran church and our ecumenical partners in Common Call, the Episcopal Church.
It is a pleasure to work along side of this wonderfully welcoming congregation. They have a love for outreach and they have taught me a great deal about compassionate giving. Each Winter for one week, the parishioners of Holy Trinity open their hearts and church doors to those in our community who are homeless. Together in ministry, we serve hot meals, offer a warm place to stay and engage in fellowship with those who are turned away by overflowing shelters. A lot of hard work and planning goes into this venture, but we serve with grateful hearts as it is indeed a pleasure to do so.
I am a daughter of a retired Marine Corp Sgt. Major, sister of a retired Navy sailor, wife of a Naval officer, mother to two beautiful girls and two four legged babies, a seminarian and a church leader....however, first and foremost, I am a child of God, a baptized Catholic Christian, a practicing ELCA Lutheran and a self-identified Luthopalian. Why am I telling you all of this? Because how we identify ourselves matters.  If we do not self-identify, the world will do this for us. Through the waters of my baptism, I walk wet in the world and I am reminded of how much I am loved by God. Daily, I am transformed and forgiven. By God’s grace, I am saved through faith and this doesn’t go away, ever! I am simultaneously saint and sinner and God loves me...no matter what.
 
Though my seminary experience, I have learned what true community looks like.  My fondest memory of this comes from day one, August 8, 2012. I remember entering Aspinwall, wide-eyed, a grin on my face and thinking wow...I’m really here. There were over 60 of us on that day, journeying into the unknown; each bringing with us something to share, experiences of past lives. A teacher, an opera singer, a bartender and several others all coming from different parts of the world; we came together that first day not knowing what to expect. What we did know is what we already had in common and why we were here in the first place; our mutual love for Jesus. Together, we muddled through class, chapel, lunch.  We drown together in summer Greek and Hebrew, overwhelmed by the intensity of seminary altogether. We drowned in the sorrow of losses; things, people, places we had left behind. We drowned in the piles of books we had to read, the many papers we had to write and the many functions we were to attend; and it was out of this drowning, this dying to the familiar that we were reborn into a community. Just like baptism, in the waters that were way over our head, we emerged to a new way of life; a new normal. We, the VTS class of 2015 have been raised into a new life with Christ, bonded together with each other by the shared experience of seminary. We learned to really listen to each other, care for each other, love each other and share that love with the communities we served. Together, we learned to embody the Word as we inwardly digested the Old and the New Testament and learned how to effectively preach. Together, we learned to serve others in our global missions courses, our liturgics classes, through our field education and service learning projects. Together, we learned to teach others through our Christian education classes, systematics and church history. Together, we learned to love others right where they are through our classes on addictions, ecumenism and spiritual direction.  
Like an immersion trip, one cannot begin to process all that has happened until the trip is over.  I cannot even fathom how much I’ve learned over the past three years and what is even more unbelievable is how quickly the time went by. What I do know is that the relationships that I have built with colleagues and friends from both VTS and LTSG are relationships that I will have for the rest of my life. I know that there are faculty members that I can count on and friends that can call to help me navigate what will be the new “new” normal of full-time ministry and for that I am eternally grateful.
 
 
 
I am a daughter of a retired Marine Corp Sgt. Major, sister of a retired Navy sailor, wife of a Naval officer, mother to two beautiful girls and two four legged babies, a seminarian and a church leader....however, first and foremost, I am a child of God, a baptized Catholic Christian, a practicing ELCA Lutheran and a self-identified Luthopalian. Why am I telling you all of this? Because how we identify ourselves matters.  If we do not self-identify, the world will do this for us. Through the waters of my baptism, I walk wet in the world and I am reminded of how much I am loved by God. Daily, I am transformed and forgiven. By God’s grace, I am saved through faith and this doesn’t go away, ever! I am simultaneously saint and sinner and God loves me...no matter what.
 
 
I know that I am a beloved child of God.  I know that God has called me to be an ordained pastor in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and in this, I find great joy. My heart is full every Sunday morning, every day as I serve and share the love of Christ. This vocation, this calling is my passion. As I leave the bubble that is seminary, I am giddy with great anticipation as I go forth into the world, stepping out in bold confidence that this is what I am made for.