About the Seminary Patreon Podcast “The Light in Every Thing”
By Lory Widmer Hess
A student at the Seminary Library
On our path of Christian discipleship, supported by The Christian Community, words are precious lifelines that help to lead us through trials and dangers, orienting us to the dawning world that is our hope and our goal, bringing to us the voice of Christ, our helping guide. We have already received so much in the form of words: the Gospels and other New Testament writings, the ritual utterances of the sacraments, prayers, sermons, lectures and books … do we really need more words? Is there something to be added to all that we have already?
And so, although there is something to be said for settling down with the old, time-tested truths and pondering them without constant distraction by the lure of novelty, we should also always be open to what wants to speak to us through new, innovative, or fresh forms.
In a word: yes! Part of the miracle of language is that it is infinitely variable and can bear an endless number of possibilities — an “infinite combinatorial system,” in linguistic terms. In spiritual terms, this means that the endless bounty of God’s creative power comes to us in ever-new, ever-changing ways, exquisitely tuned to the changing needs of our evolving souls and the times we live in. And so, although there is something to be said for settling down with the old, time-tested truths and pondering them without constant distraction by the lure of novelty, we should also always be open to what wants to speak to us through new, innovative, or fresh forms.
Preparing for the podcast…
One new form that has arisen recently is the Seminary podcast, “The Light in Every Thing.” Started during the time of Covid lockdown, it has continued on a weekly basis to inspire and enrich the lives of many listeners. In each episode the seminary directors, Patrick Kennedy and Jonah Evans, have an hour-long conversation about a theme, topic or question that is moving in their hearts. Rather than a prepared lecture, it’s a path of discovery, a weaving together of knowledge with wondering, insight with unfolding possibilities. What could be more appropriate, or more needed, in our unsettled times?
Although I knew the podcast existed, I didn’t really start listening until the winter of 2021, when I was in the first year group of the Distance Learning Program (another wonderfully innovative new offering … but that’s a story for another post). Patrick and Jonah were in the midst of a series called “What Is a Priest?” and given that I was participating in a program meant largely as a discernment-year for people interested in the priesthood, it caught my attention.
In their conversations, Jonah and Patrick demonstrated not just a what, a lump of information, but a how, a method of taking in, digesting, discerning, reflecting and summarizing experience or content that truly brings it to a higher level. I found the listening to be an amazing journey of discipleship in itself, one that I could return to again and again.
But I really became a faithful listener with the series “The Path of Discipleship,” which took the ten Gospel readings belonging to the weeks between St. John’s and Michaelmas as their starting point. This somewhat neglected time period, not one of the major festivals, which tends to get lost in the shuffle of summer ending and school beginning, was revealed to hold incredible potential. Rather than letting all the challenges of Michaelmas crash upon our heads unprepared, something I have experienced quite strongly in recent years, we can use these readings as a ‘path’ to move us from passively receiving spiritual light to incarnating it as a force of will. In their conversations, Jonah and Patrick demonstrated not just a what, a lump of information, but a how, a method of taking in, digesting, discerning, reflecting and summarizing experience or content that truly brings it to a higher level. I found the listening to be an amazing journey of discipleship in itself, one that I could return to again and again.
Since then, I think I’ve listened to every episode, and I look forward to the podcast as a nourishing source of soul refreshment each week. Right now, we are coming to the end of a series on the question of “discerning the spirits,” of how we recognize the voice of Christ as the Good Shepherd among the ‘wolves’ that would love to deceive and devour us. Looking at a Bible passage and pondering it deeply is often the point of departure, and I’ve especially appreciated the incorporation of some Old Testament passages in this process. I hope this part of the Bible might get even more attention in future episodes — although in fact, whatever is taken up is sure to be fascinating.
Of course, through the medium, it’s also a mechanical process that creates this impression upon our ears, an electronic simulacrum, and yet I do believe that the true spirit can speak through this medium, and reach from heart to heart.
Reading words on a page or a screen is one thing but, hearing the warmth and humor and responsiveness in a human voice is of another order of magnitude — even more so when it’s two voices in conversation, belonging to two people who are close colleagues and dear friends. That’s one thing I really experience through the podcast, the intangible magic of relationship, which is the only thing that can truly teach, heal, or convey Christ’s presence to us. Of course, through the medium, it’s also a mechanical process that creates this impression upon our ears, an electronic simulacrum, and yet I do believe that the true spirit can speak through this medium, and reach from heart to heart. To use this medium for such a redemptive purpose may be one of the most important things we can do in this age.
And so, a modest little project that came about through the unexpected circumstance of a Seminary being emptied of students at the start of the pandemic, may turn out to be the seed of a transformative technology — that is, the building up of a new body of living thoughts that will carry us into the future. From comments of listeners on the Patreon member site, it is clear that the podcast has touched and energized a large number of people already. I can only hope that this number will continue to grow, and that the community of listeners will become an ever-more active organ of Christ’s work in the world.
Our Author: Lory Widmer Hess encountered the Christian Community while in the midst of the eurythmy training in Spring Valley, New York, and it is not an exaggeration to say it saved her life. Since then, while continuing to ponder Christ’s purpose for her restored life, she has worked as a teacher, editor, and graphic designer, and has lived in community with developmentally disabled adults, her greatest learning experience.
She currently lives with her husband and son in Switzerland, where she teaches English and struggles with French and German.
This is a blog entry by a student at The Seminary of the Christian Community in North America. These are posted weekly by the student editorial team of Marc Delannoy and Silke Chatfield. For more information about our seminary, see the rest of our website, and for even more weekly podcast and video content check out the seminary patreon page.
The views expressed in this blog entry do not necessarily represent the views of the Seminary, its directors or the Christian Community. They are the sole responsibility of its author.