Publication Date
12-4-2023
Description
In this episode of Under the Fig Tree, hosts Rev. Micah Glenn and Dr. Ben Haupt chat with Sam Aizenberg, a fourth-year Master of Divinity student. Raised by a Jewish father and Southern Baptist mother, Sam took a long and winding road to Lutheranism. After being raised in the Conservative Jewish faith, he attended Faith Lutheran High School in Las Vegas, where he was first exposed to Lutheran doctrine and beliefs. After attending a nondenominational Christian church for several years, he eventually started attending a Lutheran church as an undergraduate. “The first time I went in there, the Lutheran church, it was like drinking water for the first time in four or five years,” he recalls. “The people were so kind and friendly but really that feeling of having that thirst quenched, that great spiritual thirst, was during the sermon. It felt like home.” Sam also shares why his vicarage year was the “very best year” and offers some advice for prospective students. “You don’t need to compare yourself to others and where you come from,” he says. “I think some people think, ‘Wow, I need to have some incredible story,’ or ‘I need to be the ninth generation or something.’ No, if you want to pursue church work, go for it. … Just come and be willing to be formed. God will use you in the capacity that He’s going to. Remember, you’re not the gift to the church. The church is Christ’s gift to you.
“Under the Fig Tree” is a video and audio podcast of Concordia Seminary, St. Louis. New video and audio episodes are added weekly each Monday during the academic year. “Under the Fig Tree” can be found on YouTube, the Seminary’s Scholar site (scholar.csl.edu) and most podcast platforms including Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts. Those interested in vocational ministry are invited to join the Seminary contact list at Request-Information. You can learn more about Concordia Seminary at csl.edu or by contacting the admissions team at [email protected] or 800-822-9545.
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Submission Type
Podcast
Submission Audience
Laity; Ministers; Future Seminarians; Future Deaconesses
Submission Cost
Free
Recommended Citation
Glenn, Micah; Haupt, Ben; and Aizenberg, Sam, "04-08 Under the Fig Tree: From Judaism to Lutheranism with Sam Aizenberg" (2023). Under the Fig Tree. 67.
https://scholar.csl.edu/utf/67
