On  Sunday, Sept. 11, 2011, Dr. Laurence R. Rast, Jr. was installed as the sixteenth president of Concordia Theological Seminary.
It was an exciting day, a good day, a day filled with sunshine, excitement, and tangible optimism.

And there was Dr. Scaer. And where Dr. Scaer is, there is wittiness, smarts, ready responses, genuine pastoral care.

And there was a lot of laughter, a lot of smiles, a lot of good-natured ribbing and hopefulness.

And there were two MA students! Two! There were never two when I was in the program!

See what I mean? Palatable optimism!

And will you take a look at that faculty? What a group of scholars. What a group of Lutherans. What a group of pastors.

When I asked them individually what this day meant for CTS, they all responded the same way. None of them deviated. None had to think twice. Without hesitating, they all said, “It is a wonderful day for the Church, for the sharing of the Gospel, for the forming of servants in Jesus Christ.”

It’s like they actually believed it or something.

Look at those smiles.

That’s joy right there. Pure, unadulterated joy.

The joy that only comes from a peace that passes all understanding.

A good president, biblical and confessional fidelity, and decent students to boot.

The future is looking pretty bright for CTS.

In fact, I wouldn’t say it’s the future that’s hopeful. I’d say the hope is already here.