Barbara Glasson and I
wrote So What’s the Story …?: A Resource
Book for Christian Reflection and Practice (DLT 2019) for the theme for our
year as, respectively, President and Vice-President of the Methodist Conference
in Britain for 2019-2020. DLT was generous and resourceful in helping us get
the book out swiftly by June 2019 and it has proved an excellent resource for individual
or small group use. Our purpose was to get people thinking about, and bringing
to words, their own stories. We wanted to encourage readers to think about how
their life stories are to be understood as faith stories and to explore such
questions as: How was, and is, God interwoven with who you are and the stories
you tell of your experiences? How do biblical and Christian stories come alive
in people’s lives? How does the diversity of Christian stories square up with there
being a single ‘Christian Story’?
We have had many
appreciative responses to the book, and are pleased it is proving useful. Who
would have thought though that although our Presidential Year continues through
to June 2020, it has now taken on a very different form. No longer are we
making church visits or leading workshops. No longer are we taking up
invitations to give talks or offer presentations based on the book. There is
certainly a story being told, but just a single story: that of the coronavirus
pandemic.
COVID-19 now becomes part
of the ongoing human story, like all viruses, illnesses, diseases. From here on
our own stories will need to include reference to how the virus affected us,
whether we were infected or not (did we, or will we, even know?). Our pattern
of life will, at least temporarily, have changed. There will be aspects of our
daily living, and perhaps even our thinking and believing, which will have been
altered or influenced by how we have needed to respond. Simple acts of
cleanliness (handwashing, for example) will never be quite the same again. The
sharing of the peace in Christian worship will have been thought through like
never before (what to do, and not to do?). We will view differently what it
means to ‘be together’.
In the midst of all this I
am picking up that people are finding a need for structure. Long periods of
isolation – imposed or chosen – can be welcome for introverts. But for people
not used to it, it can be terrifying. The days are shapeless. Even regular
times for eating can go by the board. Resolutions are made and then quickly
broken even within a single day. Our book was not, of course, designed to
address all such demands. We did, though, opt for 12 chapters so that the book
could be used a chapter a month. Now, the ‘stay at home if at all possible’
instructions speak of 12 weeks. Even if you need to be out of the house to be
at work (and if you are, thank you!) you could still have your time shaped for
reflections and prayers on a weekly basis on the topics we explore in each of
the chapters. Here’s how:
Think
about why we tell stories. What
particular stories are we telling now, and why? The older generation
are telling wartime stories (‘even the churches were not shut then’). We are
all needing to tell stories of bravery and risk (‘she carried on even though
she had no protective clothing’).
Summon
up your own story. By
using aspects of our own personal stories, Barbara and I invite you to pinpoint
particular incidents and memories that have shaped who you are.
Ask
whether you have any Christian heroes.
That’s one way of asking: how have the Christian past and Jewish and Christian
stories contributed to your understanding of yourself and the world?
Assess
whether you would call your life-story a faith story. Not everyone likes the word
‘testimony’. But if we have a faith story in any sense, then we have a
testimony to tell. And it continues!
Acknowledge
the hidden bits of your own story.
We all have stuff that we may have told no one. Sometimes it’s good, at some
point in life, to express those deepest memories.
Slot
your story into a Gospel.
This is never as neat as it may sound. But most of us do have a favourite
Gospel, even if we also know we lean on them all in some way.
Check
out how you relate to other people of faith (or of no faith). The present crisis finds people of all
faiths and none working together. It’s always worth pressing the question of what
we learn from people who are different.
Be
playful. Creativity
comes in many shapes and sizes (and colours, and sounds). God seems to enjoy
this and wants us to be playful and creative even when things are tough.
Ask
how Christians of different traditions have influenced and shaped you. The history of Christian mission is a
chequered one, with positives and negatives on all sides. But examples of
Christian encounter across cultures throws up deep insights.
Acknowledge
the uncomfortable bits of the Bible and Christian tradition. There is no point denying the shocking
aspects of the past. Honesty really matters.
Living
it out. Even if the
Christian life isn’t just ‘performing a script’, we are trying to bring
something about that isn’t simply of our own making. It is good to sense that
aspects of our lives can be shaped for us.
We may even have a sense of call to be who are we and do
what we do. The commitment we each make to God can take on many different
forms.
So, we hope those 12
aspects of life could prove to be useful reflection points for anyone in the
present period of huge anxiety and uncertainty. If you pick up our book and
find it helpful as you do so, then do send on your thanks to DLT for making it
happen.
***
This is the latest
Lockdown Blog article by one of Darton, Longman and Todd’s amazing authors,
offering a personal reflection on our current situation in life. These blogs
post are written sometimes in reference to one of the writer’s books, and
sometimes about how they are living in response to the coronavirus and our
current world situation. We hope it will give you a taste of the depth and
diversity of DLT’s list – books for heart, mind and soul that aim to meet the
needs and interests of all.
Today’s post is by Clive
Marsh, co-author with Barbara Glasson of So What’s the Story…?,
which you can buy here.
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