From the Founding Dean:

One of the most festive nights of the year at Yale Divinity School is the final Wednesday of the term when all gather for a celebration of Advent. I’ve had a role representing Andover Newton each year of the ten (wow!) that we’ve been embedded here. This year, I prayed this closing prayer:

“God who is the way, the truth, and the light: this night, we’ve worshipped you. Some of us came searching in the ashes for an old ember we could stoke into new fire through prayers and praise. Some of us came seeking a fresh spark in your holy word. Some of us have yet to sense the rekindling we seek […]. We trust that your Holy Spirit’s light hasn’t died, for the savior you sent among us triumphed over death and brought us eternal life. It’s because Jesus showed us that you are the way, the truth, and the light – love incarnate – that we come to the close of this service ready to make a transition into a new season. As you fire our furnaces and light our paths, we seek to follow the one who did justice, loved kindness, and gave us the humility to bow before you in awe and praise. Amen.”

 As the term comes to a close, I find myself unable to provide an easy answer to the question, “How did the semester go?” On the one hand, our students and programs have never felt more vibrant. On the other hand, the world beyond our campus is racked with suffering as close-by as our New Haven neighborhood and as far away as Sudan and Sri Lanka. Our students are sensitive people who don’t close themselves off to the pain of the world, so this season has challenged them. Yet there’s so much joy in following a calling, and that joy is alive here at Andover Newton Seminary.

Whatever holidays you celebrate this season, may they be blessed.

Photo Credit: Moriah Felder (ANS at YDS MAR, 2027)