Coming Home
Home is a tricky concept. I once told someone that I had a homeless mind – a mind that isn’t root anywhere (geographically speaking) and so finds it hard to root itself in the world in general. One of my favourite writers, the great Czech Milan Kundera, writes: In the mind of a woman for whom no place is home the thought of an end to all flight is unbearable’. For years this sat like a personal mantra but there is one fundamental problem with it – at least, when you start to look through the lens of a Christian and a Theologian.
Home is not a spatial entity, nor is it a temporal one. That place you go to every night and go to bed is a home, sure, but at the same time it isn’t. If you buy a travelcard on the London Underground it comes in a small wallet that looks like this:
It’s a lovely sentiment. I live in a student block, in a room that’s a bit like a cupboard. I’m working hard to make it less clinical – posters, fairy lights, family photos, personal trinkets – but it really is still a university room that I will move out of in a few months time (and into another similarly clinical cupboard). For now, it’s ‘home’. It’ll do.
But I don’t agree with it – not ‘ultimately’. How fleeting and transient is our time here, in our little homes. We’re killing time until we go Home. Capital H. Our home is in the love of the Lord. Wherever we are we are home if we love and trust in Him. Consider Psalm 91:
I will say to the LORD, “My refuge and my fortress, My God, in whom I trust!”
To me, God can be a duvet – warm and comforting, wrapping me up safely. He’s also a bubble. We are safe and protected in Him.
He’s our home. Home is where you can always run to, you can always feel safe, you can always, always find love and complete acceptance.
But above all this God is love. Pure and unadulterated. Raw and unconditional. Incredible, terrifying and true.
Always.
FYI…
Around My Wrist
My rosary... and my hand...
When I am having a bad day I wear my rosary beads around my wrist. I am not a Catholic, but I still have a rosary to comfort me, to use in prayer, to hold onto. It was a present from a good friend of mine, who picked it for me in St Joseph’s Oratory, Montreal. I’m not sure if the picture is clear enough to see, but each bead is a small red love-heart. I love that about it.
My rosary is, to me, a source of great comfort – to have something in your hands to touch, to knead, to cling to. I wrap it around my wrist, hold the cross tight in my hand and pretend it is a bracelet, knowing it is not and I am not wearing it as one. I would like to mention now, so as to make this point clear for my Catholic brothers and sisters, that I do not think of my rosary as a fashion accessory. That is not my intention.
We cling to strange things sometimes. Rosaries, holding crosses, the small silver saints medal around your neck… it’s all the same. That small piece of comfort that reminds us of the massive comfort that is to be found in Jesus Christ. I took Communion earlier. Wafer and wine – not what I’m used to (Methodists tend to go for bread and grape juice). I am not a fan of wafer but I was in Durham Cathedral. I held the wafer in my mouth as I took the wine. The two mingled. I held them without swallowing for a long time. I have never done that before but I felt the need to today. The wine and wafer became sweet in my mouth. I thought of Ezekiel.
A friend of mine – not a Christian – carries a set of Greek worry beads (or κομπολόι) in her pocket. They jangle beautifully and she uses them to calm her mind and meditate when times get stressful. She counts off her worries and stresses, her thanks and blessings on them. κομπολόι are a secular object; to her they are almost religious.
We all need something. To hold, to cling to, to remind us that we can take a moment to breathe. My beads give me pause to stand in the presence of Christ and say nothing, be nothing but myself. And be completely naked in my silence.
In John’s Gospel, Jesus says:
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you asthe world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. John 14:27
It is only now I am fully learning how desperately I need the peace that the Lord Jesus offers. I cannot carry on in this life without it. I wonder how anyone does.
A night prayer:
Now I lay me down to sleep
I pray the lord my soul to keep
Thy Love protect me through the night
and wake me with the morning light.
Rubenesque? Yes Please!
This is not a particularly theological post but I love art and this is something that’s been playing on my mind recently.
I have fat days. Oh, don’t we all? Being a young woman in the 21st Century West it’s almost impossible not to. We are told we are the wrong shape or height or dress size or bra size or pretty much anything else about our bodies from the time we’re old enough to think! Magazines, websites, films, music… it’s all image-obsessed. Someone once told me that, in order to be considered beautiful I would need to lose at least 3 stone. 3 STONE?! You’ve got to be kidding. I’m 5ft8.5 with a broadish frame . I’d look ridiculous if I lost 3 stone. I don’t even think I could do it. Incidentally, here’s a photo of me taken at New Year. I don’t include it for vanity purposes, but to illustrate why (to my mind) that person was wrong to think me obese.
I used to care – because I used to think it was important. Now I realise it does not matter one jot if you are bigger or smaller or whatever. No one whose opinion matters cares and anyone who does care doesn’t matter. If you are healthy and happy then what’s a few wobbly bits?
God doesn’t care. He does not care one bit. He cares that you are good to your body, that you love it and care for it and treat it right. But dress size? Bra size? BMI? Nah, that’s not important.
But what I really wanted to say in this post concerns a Flemish artist by the name of Pieter Paul Rubens. Working in the 17th Century, Rubens painted some of the most beautiful and sensual scenes I have ever seen. His work is exquisite, he paints women with a passion and sensual intensity that few other artists seem to manage. I am a big fan of Rubens. But there’s one thing above all that stands out for me about his work. We praise it, we coo over how beautiful his women are. Take a look at these paintings.
Diana And Callisto
The Judgement of Paris
See what I mean? Beautiful and sensual and utterly exquisite women… with wobbly bits. Briliant. A lot of Rubens’ pictures are based on works by Titian, who also painted his women as a similar shape.
When you have a ‘fat day’, remember these few things:
1. Rubens painted some of the most beautiful women ever and they wobble.
2. God doesn’t care how big you are and His is the only opinion that matters. He’d love you whatever you looked like. BUT! He made you and you are beautiful in his sight BECAUSE you are a God-made creation, perfectly crafted and wonderful just the way you are.
3. We all get fat days – that’s normal. Blame the media, put on your big girl pants and get over it.
4. The best way to hide tubby bits is to smile. My mum told me that and it’s remarkably effective.
Facebook Bible Stories
Suggested age range: Teenage and up.
Suitable for: Individuals or groups.
Pre-requisites for effective use of the resource: A basic knowledge of Facebook. No prior knowledge of Biblical texts is needed.
This resource aims to encourage Biblical Literacy by asking the participants to read a text in depth and to understand the text on a level that will allow them to then rewrite the story. As this activity is, understandably, much easier with texts that are mostly narrative – and also well-known – the Old Testament provides a wealth of material.
The activity proceeds thus:
- Identify and read a Bible story – a story that is heavily narrative works best. I have included three examples of possible stories: Jacob wrestling with God (Genesis 32:24-32), Elisha and the bears (2 Kings 2:22-23) and the relationship of Hosea and Gomer (Hosea 1-3).
- Take the time to read the story through a few times and in a few different translations. It is advisable to read translations that are significantly different. For example, comparing a more scholarly translation (such as the NRSV) with a Bible written in vernacular language (such as The Message). This will allow participants to grasp the diversity of biblical texts and translations.
- Consider the action within the story, including any dialogue. Think about the events which seem most important. Construct a timeline of actions and dialogues – think about the way the story would be if you saw it acted out as a play.
- Using the model of a Facebook News Feed, condense the story’s key facts and dialogue. Think about what the characters might look like and how they might speak/type. The story can utilise all available Facebook ‘apps’ – including relationships, wall posts, status messages, ‘likes’, family listings, blog posts and Places. Use time stamps if you wish. Remember that Facebook feeds read from bottom to top.
This can be done in several ways – either with each individual taking on a whole story to construct by themselves or by giving each participant a separate ‘character’ within a story and creating the story as a ‘techno-play’ of sorts.
- There are many verses that would work well for this activity, but below is a list of suggestions:
- Adam and Eve – Genesis 2:7 – 3:24
- Noah and the Ark – Genesis 6:11 – 8:22
- The Judgement of Solomon – 1 Kings 3:16-28
- Daniel in the Lion’s Den – Daniel 6
- Jesus raises Jairus’ daughter – Mark 5:21-43
- Jesus heals the Gerasene Demoniac – Luke 8:26-39
- The Day of Pentecost – Acts 2
The completed Bible News Feeds can then be discussed among the group – different participants will draw different things out of the texts as differing life experiences will alter the way each participant views the texts.
Quick Post…
I found these in an old folder on my parents’ computer. They made me smile to see them again. I hope they do the same to you.
Against Media
Read this book.
“Media. I think I have heard of her. Isn’t she the one who killed her children?”
“Different woman,” said Mr. Nancy. “Same deal.”
American Gods
British novelist Neil Gaiman has a way with Gods. He anthropomorphises them. He makes them tangible and visible. An incarnation, of sorts. He takes an old idea and gives it life. Recently the idea of Media has been in my head a lot. All this pondering led me back to one of my favourite books – Neil Gaiman’s American Gods. Set in an alternate America, Gods walk around with ordinary people. The Gods that Gaiman presents come from every world religion and mythology, ruled over by the All-Father, Odin. They are found in all manner of places; the Egyptian Gods of the underworld have set up a Funeral Parlour (‘Ibis and Jacquel. A Family Firm. Funeral Parlour since 1863’) in Cairo, Illinois; The Queen of Sheba is a prostitute in Los Angeles; Eostre, pagan goddess of the dawn, is a hippy in San Francisco.[1] Shadow, the novel’s protagonist, travels across the country with Odin (aka Mr Wednesday) to warn these old Gods of a new threat. They are at war with a new generation of deities, the new Gods, who are threatening takeover of the USA.
Throughout the text we are introduced to a host of new Gods. A ‘fat young man… with a spattering of acne [glistening] on one cheek… and eyes that glint with the green of an antique computer monitor’ becomes the Internet personified.[2] ‘A perfectly made-up, perfectly coiffed’ woman named Media tells the novel’s protagonist, Shadow that she is ‘the little shrine the family gathers around to adore… what people are sacrificing to’.[3]
Music for the Sunshine
It’s a brilliant sunny day here in Durham. The sun shining through my skylight is hot on my cheek (only my right cheek so I look rather like I’ve been slapped), I have tea and biscuits and breath in my lungs.
Rejoice for these small things, dear friends. Let’s not forget that these are gifts, beautiful and treasured gifts.
This is one of my favourite hymns – it reminds me why He’s awesome. I’ll be back with more words later.
Re-read the Bible – A Challenge
How often do we stop to consider just how incredible the Bible is? I don’t think we do. Certainly the way the Scriptures are read
True story.
in churches suggests we don’t quite ‘get’ them. We can happily plough through great chunks of text without a pause or quiver of lip. I have heard people stand up and read the Crucifixion narrative in the same tone of voice they might recite a shopping list. I have heard people bark out the Beatitudes with no passion or awe for the words they so casually read. I’m not a crazy crazy Bible basher but I really think we’ve missed the point of this amazing book. Here are some examples (all from the NT – the OT is also awesome but very complicated and I’ll deal with that at a later date):
1. The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood. John 1:14
Um… wow? This is the most blatant statement of Incarnational Theology in the Bible and we can read it without going ‘WOW’?! This text is incredible, earth-shattering, utterly utterly beautiful. This verse tells us that God became Man for our sake, took on our frail human form to live and eat and suffer with us. And for us.
2. You’re familiar with the old written law, ‘Love your friend,’ and its unwritten companion, ‘Hate your enemy.’ I’m challenging that. I’m telling you to love your enemies. Matthew 5:43-44
To anyone who tries to tell me the Bible is no longer a ‘relevant’ text I show them this verse. Love your enemy. Surely if the Bible was out-of-date and irrelevant we’d have managed to do all the things we’re asked. Have we managed this one? Evidently not. Should we? Well, that’s for you to decide. Personally, I think this verse stands at the centre of why Jesus is such a Revolutionary. In 1st Century battle-scarred and oppressed Palestine He comes out with this. Revolutionary, dangerous and radical. Think about the word ‘radical’, from the Latin word ‘radix’ – meaning ‘root’. Something radical is something that sits at the root of truth. Jesus’ words are radical because they penetrate to the root of the matter. Love. Above all else, love. Think that’s easy? Try it. It’s not.
3. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39
You knew this verse would be in here, didn’t know? And that’s because it’s a bloomin’ wonderful verse. Paul was never better. But do we ever stop to consider this really and truly and fully. There is NOTHING! NOTHING that will separate us. Not one single thing. A friend once said to me that if anyone says that what they’ve done is too bad for forgiveness, it’s like they’re saying the Cross wasn’t enough, which is the ultimate arrogance. When I’m feeling like that, I read this passage and remember that Paul was a horrible git before Damascus.
4. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age. Matthew 28:19-20
The Short and Sweet Guide to Being a Christian. Also know as ‘The Great Commission’. It may be short but it’s not very sweet. This command was given to the disciples and think how many of those came to sticky ends (hint: all except one). This is a potted guide to the rudiments of following Jesus but it’s a very big command in very few words. Just like the other passage from Matthew, this is really not as easy as it first sounds. We’re being asked to risk it all. We’re to take the Gospel to ALL NATIONS, not just the ones with hot running water and central heating. Not just the ones that don’t bomb each other. Being a Christian is not going to be easy. This passage makes that very clear.
5. Jesus prayed, ‘Father, forgive them; they don’t know what they’re doing’. Luke 23:34
Picture the scene. You’re dying. You’ve got nails in your wrists, your feet. Your side has been stabbed. You have sharp thorns digging into your head. You are baking in the hot sun. You are strung up next to common criminal, an ignominious death. A shameful death. Outside the city walls. Roman soldiers are casting lots for your clothes. And in all of this you ask for forgiveness for them. You intercede for those who are killing you. There’s nothing else I can say on this one. Stop and think about it.
Do you see what I mean? You could pick almost any chapter from the Gospels or the Epistles or any other NT text and meditate on it for weeks and weeks. Some make a single book their life’s work. The Bible has so much in it, it’s easy to do that. It changes over time. We read it differently with shifting moods and experience. This is part of the mystery and majesty of the text.
My poor old bashed Bible is looking rather forlorn and it’s peppered with colouring pencil scribblings. Isn’t that the way a Bible is supposed to look?
Perhaps this Lent, pick up your Bible, read a few verses and see what you pull out of them. You will be pleasantly surprised, I hope.
God Rips From The Top…
The Ripped Curtain
On Sunday morning, my mum and I went to Durham Cathedral to the Communion service. There were several things about this service that disquieted me – not least the vestments of the clergy and the sheer number of them! Perhaps the most bizarre thing was the fact that I could at no point see the person that was speaking. They were stood somewhere up near the High Altar and the Quire, while we stuck way back in the Nave. Sound wasn’t a problem – the voices boomed out across the Cathedral but seemingly out of nowhere. Most disconcerting.
The Lectionary readings for the First Sunday in Lent usually give us the story of Jesus’ temptation by Satan in the desert. The sermon did indeed discuss this passage (Matt 4:1-11 if anyone’s interested). It was a good but not terribly memorable sermon but one line did stick out like a sore thumb at me. It recounted the tearing of the Temple curtain, recorded in Matt 27:51. As Jesus dies on the cross at Golgotha, the curtain rips from top to bottom. Let me just add that this is no ordinary curtain. We’re not talking a thin piece of material here. The curtain veiled from sight the Holy of Holies, the most sacred place in the Jewish world. Only the High Priest was allowed to enter and even he was only allowed once a year – on Yom Kippur. It has been estimated that the curtain was as big as 35ft by 65ft. It was approximately 6 inches thick. That would make the weight 6 tonnes (give or take) depending on the material used. In fact the Talmud tells us that it took some 300 priest to carry it to its place. That is one big curtain. Now, imagine trying to rip that in half. Even Goliath would struggle.
The verse in Matthew 27 reads:
But Jesus, again crying out loudly, breathed his last. At that moment, the Temple curtain was ripped in two, top to bottom. (MSG)
But… surely if men were going to rip it, they would rip it from the bottom. This curtain is 65ft long, there’s no way they’d get a step-ladder to start ripping from the top. And surely the Priests would stop the rippers before they got on the first rung of the ladder. Ordinary folk weren’t even allowed near the curtain. As the Cathedral Preacher put it ‘Only God rips from the top’.
Taken from ASBO Jesus
Only God rips from the top. Those 6 words slapped me like a wet kipper across the face. That’s it exactly. Humans rip from the bottom. They destroy the bottom first and then move up towards the top, finally reaching it when all else is gone. My initial thought on this was to think ‘it’s a latent political statement!’ but that’s probably (hopefully?) me putting my own Socialist reading on it. But think about it. It makes sense, no? All this stuff about bankers’ bonuses and the ridiculous salaries of the upper echelons of society while some exist barely above the Poverty Line.
For Jesus its all about raising the poor and humbling the rich. Think about the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Man in Luke 18:9-14:
He told his next story to some who were complacently pleased with themselves over their moral performance and looked down their noses at the common people: “Two men went up to the Temple to pray, one a Pharisee, the other a tax man. The Pharisee posed and prayed like this: ‘Oh, God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, crooks, adulterers, or, heaven forbid, like this tax man. I fast twice a week and tithe on all my income.’ “Meanwhile the tax man, slumped in the shadows, his face in his hands, not daring to look up, said, “God, give mercy. Forgive me, a sinner”. Jesus commented, “This tax man, not the other, went home-made right with God. If you walk around with your nose in the air, you’re going to end up flat on your face, but if you’re content to be simply yourself, you will become more than yourself.” (MSG)
Jesus would see us be equal with each other, He would see us sharing and giving without grumbles, He would tear down the hierarchies that cause such poverty and persecution and pain. When you forget this, remember these 4 words: Rich man, eye, needle. Remember also that ‘no one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money’ (Matt 6:24 – ESV)
It’s not just a money issue but in the current economic climate, money is a very real concern. It’s a hierarchy issue, a justice issue, a community issue.
The Temple Curtain is an ultimate symbol of priestly authority and privilege. It is a mark of the society that kept virtually everyone out of the most sacred place. Let’s take a quick look at the floor plan.
- Floor Plan of The Second Temple
You can see clearly marked:
- Court of the Women – Within this area, all Jews, male and female, were permitted – even lepers (considered ritually unclean). In this, the largest of the temple courts, there was constant dancing, singing and music.
- The Court of the Israelites – This area was exclusively for Jewish men to enter. They could view the animal sacrifices made by the High Priest in the Court of the Priests.
- The Court of the Priests – This is reserved for Levite Priests who performed sacrifices, including lambs, doves, and pigeons.
- The Temple itself – Between the entrance of the building and the curtain were the famous vessels of the Temple: the Menorah, the Altar and various other items.
This will give you an idea of the fierce hierarchy in the Temple. The ripping of the Curtain was not some little thing. It was a disaster for the Priests. It tore down the carefully built-up control they had over the faith and religion of the people. I like to think that as Caiaphas saw the curtain tearing violently in two and revealing to all the glories hidden behind it, he thought of the words of slander levelled at the Christ at His trial: “We heard him say, ‘I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and in three days I will build another, not made with hands’” (Mark 14:58 – ESV).
Gustave Doré's Illustration
Poor Caiaphas, he worked so hard to build up his priestly reputation, lovely home, most likely some good assets of some sort too. We can hardly blaming for fearing he would lose it all. He was just a man and men are flawed. Incidentally, Dante has the High Priest in the 6th bolgia of the 8th circle of Hell, where Hypocrites are punished. His punishment was to be crucified across a path that the Hypocrites, in their leaden cloaks, walk endlessly. I think that’s rather too harsh. Considering he is one of the main guys in the death of Jesus, I suppose Dante’s response to his ‘crime’ is understandable. I just don’t think Jesus would have it that way. I am, however, drifting off topic.
God rips from the top. He rips the curtain to signify the tearing up of traditional hierarchies that the death and resurrection of Jesus will bring to the world. God will raise the lowly and bring low the self-mighty. Only He can give glory – we cannot give it to ourselves. The Pharisees can perhaps be seen as the Investment Bankers and Hedge Fund Managers of their day. It’s no wonder they despised Jesus’ teachings when he came out with things as wonderful as (my personal favourite) the Parable of the Two Sons:
“Tell me what you think of this story: A man had two sons. He went up to the first and said, ‘Son, go out for the day and work in the vineyard.’ “The son answered, ‘I don’t want to.’ Later on he thought better of it and went. The father gave the same command to the second son. He answered, ‘Sure, glad to.’ But he never went. Which of the two sons did what the father asked?”
They said, “The first.”
Jesus said, “Yes, and I tell you that crooks and whores are going to precede you into God’s kingdom. John came to you showing you the right road. You turned up your noses at him, but the crooks and whores believed him. Even when you saw their changed lives, you didn’t care enough to change and believe him”. (Matt 21:28-32 – MSG)
Be afraid, Pharisees, be very afraid.
What am I hoping you will take from this post? A dollop of history about the Temple in Jerusalem. A fresh perspective on the tearing of the Curtain. Some things to think about. Maybe we could start a Revolution? Equality for all! Hope and peace and comfort for all! Love for all!
Think it will catch on?
