Inspirations from the Distance Learning Program, Part I
by Daniil Kalinov
By Naomi Mattana
In 2019 the Seminary began its first full-fledged Distance Learning Program (DLP). Looking back, it seems as if the DLP was preparing the ground for the times we live in right now. It feels as though we were the pioneers of this digital space, which was soon to become a world-wide necessity. Last fall, however, already in the midst of the pandemic, the seminary directors decided to further expand the opportunities for the DLP. A second track, led by Rev. Jonah Evans, was added to the first one, which Rev. Patrick Kennedy continued to lead. In this way, we – the second-year DLP students – along with the students who had been accepted into the “Knowing Christ” full-time seminary training, had had an opportunity to dive deep into the main theme of our studies: the parables of the Kingdom of God.
In the fall trimester, we had just enough time to work our way through two sequences of the parables. The main focus of the first one, consisting of five parables in chapters 15 and 16 of the Gospel of Luke, was the idea of μετάνοια [editor’s note: this greek word is often written as metanoia in English]. Through these parables about the lost sheep, the lost coin, the lost son, etc., we strove to understand what this activity of μετάνοια (classically translated as “repentance”) actually is. Under Jonah’s guidance, we were able to see that this changing of one’s heart and mind (the literal rendering of μετάνοια) is in fact the gate, the doorway into the Kingdom of God. It is that shift of one’s outlook on life, one’s path in life, one’s purpose in it, which allows one to gain an access to the Kingdom. An entry into a sphere of consciousness, in which man sees that the Kingdom of God is not only near — it is here. What helped us greatly in these studies was the insight into the way one can picture this Kingdom to oneself, as shared with us by Jonah. Most importantly he showed how this term – “Kingdom of God” – can refer to three interconnected, but distinct realms, and how it in fact does so in different parables. The first one, the eternal realm of the heavenly spheres, in which we participate between our death and our new birth, is, for example, addressed in the parable of the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31). Something of the third one, on the other hand, the future realm of the heavenly Jerusalem, which looms before us as a guiding star, can be found in the picture of the separation of the goats and the sheep (Matthew 25:31-46) and many others. But it is the second one, the Kingdom of God on Earth, of which most parables speak. It is that realm which, through our “repentance”, is fully accessible to us right now. And it is that realm which – as shown by the second sequence of the parables (Matthew 13) – grows hidden within the world. It is like a seed that lies within our heart and will grow, if only we give it space. It is like leaven that can slowly permeate and change our whole being. And so, if from the parables of Luke, we have learned how the Kingdom can be entered, in Matthew we have learned a bit more about what it actually is. How it is everywhere: unseen, yet potent. And that it is within our reach, if only we know how to find it.
By Gail McManus
It was also a great help in our studies that Jonah didn’t let all this remain theoretical, abstract knowledge. Instead, he showed how one can put it into an actual practice. He not only illustrated how the dynamics of the parables can be seen in concrete life-examples, but he also introduced us to the main prayer practice of our class, working with the four lines of the opening prayer of the Gospel section of the Act of Consecration of Man; with the prayer that asks Christ to completely fill one’s heart with His Life and to let this Life live on in the words flowing from one’s lips. Through this, we were given a tool to truly perform μετάνοια in our hearts, to find the spirit of Christ, ever-present, all around us. The Kingdom of God could start to become for us not only a thought, but an experience. An experience we could share among ourselves in our small groups and in the opening portions of our classes, where each week one of us had an opportunity to present a small contemplation on this prayer.
At the end of that trimester, we could also share the flowering of our studies and experiences through small artistic projects, samples of which we are sharing with you here as well. These tried to express, in verse, in forms and colors or in another medium, the dynamics of μετάνοια and the Kingdom of God described in the parables we have worked on. Within this post, you see paintings by Naomi Mattana and Gail McManus (both second-year DLP students) andpoems by Faith DiVecchio (a student in the “Knowing Christ” program) and myself. I hope they may bring you the spirit we have all shared in the DLP this year!
About the Author: Daniil Kalinov is a second-year DLP student, who was also one of the Seminary Greek teachers this year. Next year he hopes to begin his full-time seminary studies in Stuttgart.
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 Robert Bower, Shannon Young and Faith DiVecchio. 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.
