Things to like about Yale #2

The New England Fall

Crisp days with blue skies and bright sunshine.  Leaves like you have never seen them before! For some reason, no-one is sure why, the leaves stay on the tree for weeks after changing colour. This means that we are surrounded by a mass of red, gold, orange, brown and green foliage, as the trees all change colour at different times. 

Election countdown

At the risk of stating what the world knows already, there is one week to go until the presidential election.

It's been fascinating being here during the election campaign.  What has impressed me the most is how the entire country (the entire world, it seems), is switched on to what is happening.  It looks as if there will be a huge turnout of voters, and almost certainly a much higher percentage of people, particularly young people, will vote than the numbers we get at home.  Everyone is talking about it.  I passed two fifteen year-olds in a small Massachusetts town discussing the election (well, the fact that someone's Obama poster had been set fire to).

Since Connecticut is a solid Democrat state, we have not been subject to the 

vast campaigning which is being waged in "swing states."  This means that I have probably not seen any more publicity than most people in the UK will have been able to follow, except for the "Obama/Biden" sign which adorns the corner of the road which I pass on the way to morning prayer.  I have seen the occasional marketing spin-off from the election, including Candidate dog-treats (see picture above) and a storage company advertisement based on the Republican Vice-Presidential candidate (right).

It's also been interesting to watch the reaction of the churches.  In a

country where the battle for the "religious vote" is paramount, some churches are preaching politics from the pulpit, telling their parishioners that as Christians, they must be voting for a particular candidate.  But in the churches I have been to (perhaps since, as I said, this is a fairly well-defined voting area), the preaching has been more nuanced.  Over the last month I have heard the election come up in the intercessions on Sunday, with the priest praying that "in this remaining time, all the candidates will conduct themselves with integrity and fairness."  On Sunday, the gospel reading was love your neighbour.  The priest challenged us to love those whom we find difficult, in particular the presidential candidates.  She encouraged us to take the candidate whom we like the least, and to pray for that person over the coming week.  Not just to pray about them and how much they annoy us (although a little of that was allowed), not that they might win (or lose!) but for them in this time that we may learn to love as Christ commands us.

What am I doing here?

Life here has settled into a happy rhythm, which I thought I would describe below for those who are interested in what I'm doing.

During the week, I go to morning prayer at 7.30 am at Berkeley Divinity School (five minutes' walk down the hill) which is usually followed by a Eucharist.  There is a tradition of inviting preachers from around the university.  It has been both fascinating and moving to hear people from different walks of life.  After chapel there is time for tea, coffee and bagels - although if you have an 8.30 am class (which I do, twice a week), this will be followed by a charge back up the hill.  This includes a quick hello to the friendly crossing guard (lollipop lady minus the lollipop), who stops all traffic at the crossroads for us.

All classes come to a halt mid-morning for the Marquand chapel service at 10.30 am.  This is the ecumenical chapel at the heart of the YDS community, and the services are extraordinarily diverse.  The chapel space is used creatively, with frequent rearrangements of furniture, but it is generally in the round.  One of the best things about it is the music; there is almost always fantastic congregational song which is presented in such a way as to get even the most nervous person singing. Marquand Chapel is by turns refreshing, inspiring, challenging and uncomfortable ... which I think is meant to be the point!  I doubt anyone would feel completely at home with all the worship there, but at the same time, I hope that everyone would find something they could appreciate.  The other wonderful thing is the sermons. With two homileticians as senior professors, the standard of preaching from staff and students is extremely high.  As Jeff says at Westcott, you learn to preach good sermons by hearing good sermons! 

After chapel is coffee hour (yes, the food still keeps coming) - tea and coffee, bagels, muffins, doughnuts and fruit in the common room.  There are stern signs on the table to remind people that those who have not attended chapel should not partake until everyone else has come out of chapel.  This practice has even made it onto a blog about passive aggression!

There is also an array of liturgies in the early evening from the various denominations ... Anglican evensong, Lutheran vespers, Roman Catholic Mass, Anglican Eucharist, worship hosted by the Evangelical Fellowship or the United Church of Christ (a reformed and congregational denomination which includes presidential candidate Barack Obama among its members).  You can worship with a different denomination every day of the week.

Structured around the worship are classes and lectures.  I have an Old Testament seminar on Ecclesiastes twice a week.  My preaching class has a lecture every week, and two "sections", when I meet with ten students and a professor, so that one of us can preach and the rest of us can give our comments.  I am also taking a class with the Institute of Sacred Music (part of the divinity school) on the music and theology of Bach's Christmas Oratorio.  This is a fantastic experience, since it is a group of music students and theologians who learn from each other as we study Bach's music.  Finally, I am taking the first year class for Anglican studies, which is taken by all the Episcopalian students who are preparing for ordination or other forms of ministry.  It is very interesting to share the different perspectives of my friends who are experiencing a similar calling to myself, in a completely different context.

Other than that?  Friends, parties, New Haven's famous pizza, museums, concerts, lectures and talks.  There is an art exhibition in the divinity school.  I am also singing with a women's a cappella group called the Sacramental Winers, which is definitely a highlight of the week.  I try to go to New York City every few weeks, and hope to do some more travelling at the end of next week when we have a "Reading Week" break.