thumb.jpg)
This is David L. Miller’s final column as editor
 of The Lutheran. On July 1, he became the dean of the chapel and the first Floy L. and Paul F. Cornelsen director of spiritual formation at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago ("‘The Lutheran’ editor resigns" and "A world of grace" July, pages 17, 58 in the print edition).
Waves of gratitude periodically wash over me during my final days at The Lutheran (see note). They rise unbidden on a schedule unknown to me, teaching the ways of God’s Spirit in at least one human life.
Again and again, two words—thank you—form on my lips at the awareness that all I have, all that I am, even the crazy reality that I am at all, is altogether gift.
How
did a rural pastor, one-time college dropout, who began writing
longhand on legal pads in the middle of a wheat field, have 18 years of
telling rich stories from around the globe, stories filled with the
love of the One who has always haunted him? It’s an unlikely story. Had
someone told me when I was 20 or 30 that life would develop this way,
I’d have suggested that they lie down until their delusions passed.
Now
I will be privileged to sit with students, faithful souls, called to
ministry in Christ’s name. I look forward to watching with them for the
impact of God’s living word shaping their souls and the service God
seeks to give through them. I anticipate listening with them for the
whispers of God’s unspeakable mercy among their days, delights and
defeats, helping them see that their life is holy for it is a
playground of the Spirit who is Life.
The rest of this article is only available to subscribers.
© 2013 Augsburg Fortress, Publishers
