Who are you?

Eleven of us met last Thursday to begin our exploration of Sam Wells' book 'Learning to Dream Again'. This is quite a long book, chosen by the Diocese of Lichfield for this year's Lent study. 

We took one short section,' Who are You?', which uses John 1, verses 19 to 37, as its foundation. Wells has a liking for the dramatic and the emotional and his account of John's response to the priests and levites, for effect, parts company with the scriptural text considerably. 

In this process of dramatisation, John is described as a devotee of Jesus rather than one steadfastly obedient to the will of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. 

Wells carries this theme of personal devotion into further drama by relating the story of the film "A Very Long Engagement', in which Manech becomes so filled with thoughts of his beloved Mathilde that he carves his initial with hers on many trees. This is presented as a model, presumably, for our own spiritual behaviour.

Whist readily acknowledging that many kinds of holiness bring us closer to God in Christ and a genuine spirituality enables us to be much more honest about ourselves, the group did not seem to be inclined towards emulating Manech.

It seemed, in the end, that St.John spoke more profoundly than Sam Wells. Surely, we should find that not disappointing but powerfully reassuring.

We gather next Thursday at 11.15 a.m. in St.Alkmund's meeting room to consider one of the chapters from the section, 'Learning to live Again'. You are welcome to join us there.

A further blog post in the next day or two will give details and questions for that meeting.

Fr Alan Fell