Charles Wesley once penned the Advent hymn “Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus,” which many of us will soon be singing again with more frequency as we move toward Advent and the close of another calendar year. But while Jesus may well have been long-expected by those with deep messianic longing, the Jesus who came was, in almost every respect, unexpected. He appeared not in palaces and throne rooms but in a manger; not as a conqueror, but as a servant; not to confirm our expectations, but to upend them.
This rhythm of expectation and surprise feels especially familiar at this point in the semester. Study, ministry, and service are in full stride, plans are well-laid, calendars full—and yet God has a way of showing up between the lines, interrupting even our most sophisticated proposals (and syllabi!) with grace, insight, and renewal. Theological education at Perkins lives in that same tension: deeply grounded in Scripture, tradition, and scholarship, yet ever alert to how theology meets the world in new and unpredictable ways.
In recent months, I’ve been struck by how theology emerges in places we might not think to look—especially in the context of the multiple conversations I have had related to my recent book Christianity and Horror Cinema (October is my month!), where what is faithful and frightening intertwine and confront one another in ways that invite wonder rather than avoidance. Not for everyone, I know! But encounters like these remind us that theology is not confined to pulpits or classrooms; it breathes in art, film, conversation, and the cultural spaces that probe what it means to be human before God.
Students at Perkins are constantly discovering the unexpected in their classes, their formation together, their internships, and community worship. The renovation of Kirby Parlor into Kirby Commons is another sign of this meeting place between the sacred and the ordinary—a renewed space for fellowship, friendship, and reflection. I am deeply thankful for the generosity and vision that has brought that project to completion.
As Advent approaches, may we continue to look for God’s presence not only in the expected but in the startling, creative, and grace-filled surprises that define the life of faith.