Virtual Methodist

I re-post this as the second in a series of pieces from Sunday evening’s Harvest Celebration of Creation and Creativity, prompted by the 7 days of Genesis 1, but I am also prompted to post it in the light of a 2 day chaplaincy workshop on suicide and mental health, during which one of our facilitators, Conor McCafferty, spoke of identifying “the treasure in the dark” that sustains life in the most difficult circumstances. And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. God called the light "day," and the darkness he called "night." And there was evening, and there was morning - the first day. Genesis 1: 3-5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. John 1:5 (RSV ) I’m grown up now… but I’m still afraid of the dark… I pretend that I’m not… But then adults are good at pretending… Children play “let’s pretend” but they’r...

Few of the Psalms are related so directly to the life of David as Psalm 51. Some include echoes of his life story: as a shepherd, a soldier being hunted by the then King Saul, and of events in his own reign as King. But none so specifically pinpoint any of the stories of his life as this one, which is directly associated with his adulterous liaison with Bathsheba and its consequences. We don’t know whether it was written by David, or simply inspired by his story, but it still speaks of someone wrestling with guilt. Unattended to guilt can be the grit that produces, not a pearl within the oyster of our hearts and minds, but a series of spiritual and psychological problems, that may also manifest themselves in physical illness. But even where we think that we have "got away with it" (much like David) we are assured that no wrong-doing goes un-noted, and we will have to answer for our guilt one day.  David's story may be about sex, conspiracy and murder in high places, ...

In the midst of my preparations for last week's reflections on John's Gospel and how it echoes the first chapter of Genesis, I came across the following piece which was produced by similar cross-fertilization a few years ago when I was writing some material for New Irish Arts. I didn't use it last week, but thought it was worth another airing.  And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. God called the light "day", and the darkness he called "night". And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day. Genesis 1:3-5 (ANIV) The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. John 1:5 (RSV) I’m grown up now… but I’m still afraid of the dark… I pretend that I’m not… But then adults are good at pretending… Children play “let’s pretend” but they’re only practicing for the serious pretending that goes on in adulthoo...