Heavenly picture of the bright morning sun over the sea with pale blue skies and wispy white clouds, and birds flying overhead. Text over the top: The God who sits (a poem). Faith in Grey Places

The God who sits (a poem)

September 4, 2022September 4, 2022 by Christine

Partly inspired by my Hebrew studies, I’m writing 12 poems inspired by 12 Hebrew verbs.

A few weeks ago, I sat down to map out which Hebrew verbs I would write poems on for the remaining weeks of this 12-part series. They had to be words I’d learned over the last year and, obviously, not the same as the verbs I’d already covered. So far, we’ve had poems on stand, provide, shine, build, give voice, create, cease [rest] and form; the remaining weeks were to be: sit, dwell, appoint, reign.

There was, however, a slight flaw in this plan.

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Picture of night sky with purple tint, showing stars and galaxies. Words over the top: The God who creates (a poem). Faith in Grey Places.

The God who creates (a poem)

July 31, 2022July 31, 2022 by Christine

Partly inspired by my Hebrew studies, I’m writing 12 poems inspired by 12 Hebrew verbs.

Today the verb I’m looking at is ברא / bara. It means to create, but unlike other Hebrew words for forming, making or doing, bara is a theological term. The subject is invariably God.

That is, only God creates.

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Low sunlight in the background lighting up a flower in the foreground. Text over the top: The God who shines (a poem)

The God who shines (a poem)

July 10, 2022July 31, 2022 by Christine

Partly inspired by my Hebrew studies, I’m writing 12 poems inspired by 12 Hebrew verbs.

Today the verb I’m looking at is אוֹר / or (it’s pronounced just like the English words “or” and “awe”). Depending on the stem, it can mean to be/become light/bright, to be illumined, or to give light.

I first came across this word when I heard a song in Hebrew based on Isaiah 60: arise, shine, your light has come. I learned the words, “Kumi, ori” and I couldn’t help but think of the word ‘orient’ and the sun rising in the East. Ironically, the Latin root of the English word, oriri, isn’t to do with shining but rather rising. (And if you’re joining the dots: yes, kumi is the same word Jesus uses when he raises Jairus’ daughter).

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Scene 3: Samuel talks with John the Baptist. Living with conflict theatre series. Faith in Grey Places

Living with conflict: A duologue between Samuel and John the Baptist

April 24, 2022April 24, 2022 by Christine

For lent and Easter 2022, I’m writing six duologues between Samuel and other people in the Bible, all on the theme of living with conflict. The prophet Samuel, now deceased, converses with a series of guests in paradise, reflecting on their past experiences and what it was to live with conflict. All posts in the series are listed here.

In this, the third scene, he goes to visit John the Baptist, whose ministry of repentance helped people prepare for the coming of Jesus.

Samuel discovers that John has chosen to make his dwelling a flat expanse of desert. John wryly recounts the things people say to him when they interrupt his solitude.

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White wooden dove decoration on a wooden surface

Isaiah 11:1–9: The King of Peace (a poem)

December 5, 2021December 5, 2021 by Christine

Continuing the series of poems drawing on the scripture readings in a Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols. Strictly speaking, the reading for today is Isaiah 11:1–3a;4a;6–9.

When I looked at this passage, the thing that stayed with me most was the concept of a hendiadys. Literally meaning “one from two,” a hendiadys is where a single thought is expressed in two words joined with “and”.

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Crescent of the sun coming out from a solar eclipse, lighting up the clouds around a browny-orange. Text: Who walks when you walk in darkness? (a poem inspired by Isaiah 9:2,6–7) Faith in Grey Places

Isaiah 9:2,6–7: Who walks when you walk in darkness? (a poem)

November 28, 2021November 28, 2021 by Christine

Continuing the series of poems drawing on the scripture readings in a Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols.

OK we’re getting into very famous territory with today’s reading. It’s all about God’s promise to raise up a righteous leader, like David was, who will lead the Israelites out of darkness.

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“Prepare the way of the Lord; Make straight in the desert A highway for our God.” The Prophet Isaiah, Isaiah 40:3

Christmas 2020: Week 6, Day 3: Ways

January 5, 2021December 19, 2021 by Christine

As any consent activist will tell you, boundaries are crucial to your health and wellbeing. Transgressing boundaries is inherently unfaithful. It’s no accident that in the Lord’s Prayer, in its traditional form, we ask God to forgive us our ‘trespasses.’

I’ve long believed it’s important to respect God’s boundaries. If God has set them, then they must be both ethical and important. But whilst I still believe this is true, I don’t act on it in the way I used to.

You see, I used to believe I had stay well within the lines. I’d be nervous not to get anywhere near God’s boundaries. I believed the onus was on me to build up my own little guard rails to stop me from coming close.

But then I wondered: what if I don’t need to be like that?

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“See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey” The Prophet Zechariah, Zechariah 9:9

Christmas 2020: Week 5, Day 7: Gentleness

January 2, 2021March 6, 2022 by Christine

Apparently, Google translates “Kyrie eleison” as “Sir, take it easy.”

Christians are more familiar with “Lord, have mercy.”

But the Google Translate rendering strikes home with me.

Christians often say that mercy is not giving people bad things that they nevertheless deserve. But this has problematic overtones.

I’ve heard it stated, or strongly implied, that the slightest error warrants a gory death in God’s eyes. This is considered the reason behind Jesus’s awful death: supposedly, he took the punishment we deserve.

Again, I find this highly problematic.

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“You are a priest forever— the kind of priest Melchizedek was.” King David, Psalm 110:4

Christmas 2020: Week 5, Day 6: Saviour

January 1, 2021November 9, 2022 by Christine

“Above all, Tolkien has a fascination with names for their own sake that will probably seem excessive to anyone whose favorite light reading is not the first book of Chronicles.”
Robert M Adams.

This quote comes from a 1977 review of The Silmarillion shortly after it was first published. The book prequels The Lord of the Rings.

I learned about the quote from my best friend. She said she had been reminded of me.

Touché.

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And after entering the house, they saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell down and worshiped Him. Matthew 2:11

Christmas 2020: Week 5, Day 5: Integrity

December 31, 2020December 19, 2021 by Christine

In 2019, I read Kathy Khang’s book “Raise Your Voice.” She writes as a Korean-American about having courage to speak up and bring about change for the better.

Throughout the book, she speaks about the sensitivities involved, as well as how hard it is to gain traction with people. She writes about changing structural problems, often from a position of little power/influence.

Her insights were a balm for me and there are fabulous one-liners.

One of them was this: “the Old Testament prophets not only recorded history but also remind the modern church of the need for people who say things that need to be said, even when it’s uncomfortable.” (p89)

I nearly pushed this sentence out as a Facebook status, but just before I hit post, I hesitated.

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"with the clouds of the sky one like a son of man was approaching. He went up to the Ancient of Days and was escorted before him." Daniel, Daniel 7:13

Christmas 2020: Week 5, Day 4: Empires

December 30, 2020December 19, 2021 by Christine

Let’s talk about divisions.

On the one hand, boundaries are good. We put down markers to divide one space from another, to distinguish the public from the private, to delineate ourselves from everything else. When it comes to confidences, people need “safe containers, not leaky vessels.”

Holding and respecting boundaries are where we find wisdom and faithfulness.

On the other hand, boundaries can create silos and conflicts. They can segregate people and create disunity.

People talk about ‘divisive’ topics, or say that certain political figures are ‘divisive.’ But much of the time, these aren’t what divide people. The divisions were already there, it’s just that the underlying disunity has been exposed.

When that happens, we lose the luxury of believing we were on the same page. And it disappoints, exhausts and hurts.

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“All kings will bow down to him; all nations will serve him. For he will rescue the needy when they cry out for help.” King Solomon, Psalm 72:11-12

Christmas 2020: Week 5, Day 3: Justice

December 29, 2020November 9, 2022 by Christine

“It’s not whether you win or lose, it’s how you play the game.”
Grantland Rice, sports commentator.

There’s a day in the Bible that gets call the ‘day of judgement.’ It’s described in various ways: something long-awaited, vindicating, something that ends long-standing injustice.

But it’s not described as joyful or even good. If anything, it’s described as terrible.

As I’ve said before, prophecy is a complex genre. The ‘day of judgement’ can be interpreted in a number of ways – many place it as a past event.

That said, many Christians believe, myself included, that there is one ultimate judgement day yet to come, when God calls all wrongdoing to account. We don’t fear it, but we ask how to live as the day approaches. (Though it could be centuries yet.)

For some Christians, this creates a desire to “be on the right side” before time runs out. And I kind of agree. But if we’re honest with ourselves, we all like to think that we’re right, good and loving. We all think we deserve to be on the winning team.

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“Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before Me” The LORD to King David, 2 Samuel 7:16

Christmas 2020: Week 5, Day 2: Accountability

December 28, 2020December 19, 2021 by Christine

Some of the things Jesus said were pretty uncomfortable.

One of them was this: “For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.” (Matthew 25:29, see also Matthew 13:12)

As a Christian, I don’t want to dilute Jesus’s words. I believe he said them for a reason. I also trust that the gospels were written and compiled reliably enough. But sayings like this can make for awkward conversations – particularly with people who are fragile in their faith.

And I don’t believe the words of Jesus should make us anxious.

I come to this question: who were these words intended for?

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"The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, The leopard shall lie down with the young goat" The Prophet Isaiah, Isaiah 11:6

Christmas 2020: Week 5, Day 1: King

December 27, 2020December 19, 2021 by Christine

Gondor has no King, Gondor needs no King.
Boromir, The Fellowship of the Ring

Some days, I’m with Boromir.

This quote comes from the film adaptation of J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings. It’s an epic high fantasy, supposedly set in Earth’s distant past. And it has many plot threads. One of them concerns the land of Gondor, which has been bereft of a king for generations.

Meanwhile Boromir, son of the Steward of Gondor, is resentful of how much his people have endured, being bordered with the black lands of Mordor. And he’s cynical that some random ‘ranger’ from the North, Aragorn, could be the rightful heir and king.

And you know, there are days when I’m similarly cynical.

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"The Lord has called Me from the womb; From the body of My mother He has named Me.” The Prophet Isaiah, Isaiah 49:1

Christmas 2020: Week 4, Day 6: Princeling

December 25, 2020December 19, 2021 by Christine

I’m a feminist but… I’m still a sucker for good princess stories.

I love the idea of being special (who doesn’t?). I love royalty being bestowed upon good people who serve their kingdom. I especially love the idea of a young daughter fearlessly weighing in on matters of state, albeit seasoned with just enough decorum for what’s at stake.

Of course, not all princesses are born into royalty. But when they are, there’s so much baggage of the state. It’s hard to shed the feeling of being a prize, a treasure, a someone-born-for-someone-else. It’s easy to think of her as merely a trophy for some handsome prince who’ll later be king.

The church does not help in all this. Borrowing from texts like Ephesians 5, 2 Corinthians 11:2 and Revelation 21, Christians often say the church is the bride of Christ – metaphorically speaking.

But I dare say this distorts our perspective. I can understand the appeal of saying the gospel is like a fairy-tale, but some of those tales have a sickly-sweet edge. Count me in for the magic and the mystery, but I don’t want a faith draped in pretty white veils. And I don’t want to be dolled up to fit the image.

And yet…

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"He will not crush the weakest reed or put out a flickering candle." The Prophet Isaiah, Isaiah 42:3

Christmas 2020: Week 4, Day 4: Gateway

December 23, 2020December 19, 2021 by Christine

It’s funny how crime and throwaway culture go hand in hand.

Take fast fashion. It’s not technically a crime, but it’s polluting, it impoverishes communities, and produces vast amounts of waste. It does these things unsustainably. And it’s largely because people see clothes as disposable.

So we might say that throwaway culture is a crime of sorts.

But what of the things we actually call crimes? While some crime is malicious, a lot of it is driven by pre-existing injustice and inequality.

When people don’t have the basics of what they need to be healthy, when they don’t have stability, they get desperate. They find methods of making ends meet. Those methods aren’t always pretty and can trap them on the wrong side of the law. At which point they become fodder for exploitation. It cycles.

We have to find a sustainable way of dealing with this. It’s not that I think crime is good. But I’m yet to see a single ‘zero tolerance’ policy that works. And the problem is only going to get bigger.

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“There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance, nothing to attract us to him.” The Prophet Isaiah, Isaiah 53:2

Christmas 2020: Week 4, Day 2: Scandal

December 21, 2020December 19, 2021 by Christine

The Greek word ‘skandalon’ is the root of our English word ‘scandal’. It means ‘stumbling block.’

But it should mean ‘something that causes people to argue.’

The idea of ‘stumbling blocks’ recurs throughout the Bible, especially the New Testament. And it’s a bit weird.

When Jesus’ warned his close friends that he would be killed, one of them, Peter, said it would never happen. In response, Jesus called him a stumbling block (Matthew 16:23).

The early churches were told to consider their example so that they didn’t mislead or be a ‘stumbling block’ to others (Romans 14:13, 1 Corinthians 8:9).

And with graphic hyperbole, Jesus preached that if parts of our bodies cause us to stumble then we would be better off losing those parts altogether. (Seriously, don’t take this literally! Matthew 5:29-30; Matthew 18:6-9; Mark 9:42-47.)

So stumbling blocks are… bad?

But on the flip side, the New Testament says Jesus is a stumbling-block.

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"Listen carefully, the virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and she will call his name Immanuel (God with us)." The Prophet Isaiah, Isaiah 7:13

Christmas 2020: Week 2, Day 4: Translation

December 9, 2020December 19, 2021 by Christine

“God lets his children tell his story.”
Peter Enns, biblical scholar

Today, people believe things are true when the history, facts and science stack up.

(Well… I mean… most of us do…)

Being people of faith, Christians want to show that things about God are true. And sometimes they do this by showing how the facts stack up.

Now, I have time for this – up to a point. There is reliable historical information, outside of the Bible, to show that Jesus lived and died. There is science behind the study of ancient texts and earliest the New Testament manuscripts date from very close to Jesus’s time.

But, trying to prove God or the Bible by using science has its limits. For one thing, history cannot be reproduced in a lab experiment. For another, the stories of the Bible aren’t scientific in that way.

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"They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks." The Prophet, Micah 4:3

Christmas 2020: Week 1, Day 7: Dreams

December 5, 2020November 9, 2022 by Christine

“Never surrender dreams.”
J Michael Straczinsky, screenwriter and author.

I once read a fantasy novella called The Emperor’s Soul, by Brandon Sanderson. It was all about a magic of forgery, where you could make alternative identities for people and even objects. But for an alternative identity to stick, it had to be plausible. The more plausible it was, the longer it lasted. (I highly recommend the book.)

I found this a fascinating and creative take for how we bring about change. Change only happens if people can envisage the new way of being; ideas only get traction if they’re seen as achievable.

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Christmas 2020: Week 1, Day 6: Bones

December 4, 2020December 19, 2021 by Christine

I have a strange relationship with legal codes.

On the one hand, I love seeing how they interact. Geeking out on Old Testament laws is one of my pastimes.

On the other hand, there is something very dead about written regulations. They are static. They always have cracks and limits. And legal documentation can be dry as a bone.

But sometimes things need to die before they can really live.

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