Who Am I? Where is God?

Prodigal God,
A snowy silence resonates over the frozen ground.
Below and alive, another season's acorn
Stretches toward the sun-home-
Re-creating your ancient Story:
Departure, return, sanctuary.
                      Angier Candle, Richmond VA

Shoe Signs

Following the footsteps of the prodigal, we placed our shoes in relationship to a central spot called Home and shared his flight from home.

In the silence of my heart,
     I recreate my birth.
In the sanctuary of true community,
     my soul resonates with God's presence.
In the glimpse of a new home,
     I am once again alive and becoming whole.
                    David Cubbage, Chandler AZ

"Who am I at work?" was the question David Cubbage presented. A prodigal in a pig-sty? An elder brother, so tied to security he's afraid to dream? Surely most of us are both. And where is God's call in this mix?

I will re-create my world
The silence has been broken
"I'm alive, I'm alive, I'm alive!"
It resonates...
A Sanctuary exists on holy ground
And I have found my home.
                  Anne Sweetman, Eatontown NJ

The Prodigal Father

Bill Johnson of Chicago IL, spoke of his own journey of duty and rebellion until now, when he is called to offer his blessing with the prodigal extravagance of the father!

+ Could we receive that kind of welcome?
+ That kind of love?
+ And might we grow to give it?

Creative God,
      Resonate silence-
Keep home
      Alive in me.
Teach me to re-create
      Sanctuary daily.
                      Leslie Shiel, Richmond VA

Re-creation

To expand our definition of spirit life to include re-creation, Suzanne Schmidt invited each one to make an image of "Who am I?" and "Where is God?" Then we chose into our interest groups: music, clay, poetry and party preparations. The poems in this article came out of six key words which the poetry group played with: home, resonate, silent, re-create, alive and sanctuary. We laughed and sang and saw again the miracle of re-union as joy and sorrows joined in our home-made party.

In Your Sanctuary,
May I taste Your love and my heart be made alive again.
May the sweetness of our silence resonate within me to
Recreate those special times with you when I am home.
                          Carrietta Jackson, Washington DC

The Morning After

A role-play by the team picked up the prodigal's story on the next day, inviting us to find God's truth for a changing world. From the evaluations, this word of blessing came from one of the participants: "What a full, resonant, diverse group I love the whole method of using the scripture story, entering it in practical ways and learning how the ordinary can be extraordinary. These events give a lot that lasts a very long time for me. I am thankful for the intelligence, creativity and soul involved in designing and creating such an event."
 

Lord of this hill,
Your satactuary fills with powdered silence.
In this sacred space the future resonates
Alive with possibilities,
    We re-create this home
    With powdered love.
                          Peter Bankson, Alexandria VA