There was such buzz in small groups around the 30 or so people gathered for worship as we tried to connect with our memories of different bible stories and their events, characters, meanings and more. Everyone was given a small piece of paper with two words on called a kenning; a phrase with describes someone or something from a bible story. Like for the story of the Good Samaritan a kenning could me 'Journey Maker' or 'Wounded Walker' or 'Cheery Helper'. So in kennings the deal is that the second word ends with 'er' to make it dynamic and associate it with someone or something. The idea is short and snappy phrases to tell a story together seeing it from lots of different points of view.
Each card had written a two word kenning on it which I had prepared earlier in the week for the service and to help introduce different ways of connecting with the bible and its characters and stories and our memories of the ways different things happen in the bible. Most of the kennings related to a story of something from one of the four Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke or John but others I wrote thinking of other biblical stories and events in the Old Testament or Acts of the Apostles.
It was a beautiful time together as we worshipped God with our minds and memories and mixed them up together making something new by listening and talking and creating new versions of stories - the 'kenning' or short phrase that one group got caught up in was 'fish catcher' and the group I was part of told a story of Peter throwing out nets from a boat and Saint Matthew being nearby to help out when the nets came back not full enough and then Jesus saying to Matthew that he was going to come back to his house to have something to eat and that was how Matthew got caught up in following Jesus - sort of like he was fish catching and the fish were people. Amazing!
Another group had the kennings 'Money Grabber' and 'Table Turner' and they put them together in the story they told each other about people being money grabbers in the temple when it was not supposed to happen that way. People were being swindled and Jesus came in and turned over tables to right things that were wrong there. Too much corruption. The other phrase in that group was 'Palm Waver' and the group tried to include this in their telling story about the temple and tables getting pushed over with the money grabbers money on by saying that perhaps the Palm Waver could be someone who waved people away, dismissing their needs and concerns and not taking them seriously and showing the palms of their hands not waving palm sticks and branches in a procession to greet Jesus as he went into the city of Jerusalem. That was not agreed on though.
A few people got up and walked around as discussion was going on and asked other people what they had got for their kenning and started to listen and share with them. It lasted longer than I thought it would and we all seemed to share great delight in hearing each others kenning and what bible stories or bible characters we associated it with.
We'll be doing more on kennings again soon - differently though next time, to build on what happened today to re-energise and nourish our faith and our connection with the bible then and now.
This year we're using John Campbell's two bowls method of sermons, bible exploration, prayer and sharing in worship as we mix up and re-connect with the Bible then and now and for our times, these peoples and our places of work rest and play.
This afternoon a carful went to hear from and meet with John and Norah Morgans from Wales Synod who used to live and minister alongside the community of Penrhys for 18 years in South Wales. John has written diaries since he was 12 years old and he has published parts of them - over 700 pages worth! His book is unputdownable 'Journey of a Lifetime: from the Diaries of John Morgans'. It is amazing. So rich and full of questions and thinking and yearning to live a life pleasing to Jesus who John says is the most important person in his life. He was easy to listen to and the book is so easy to read - yet the commitment and discipline to put down on paper 1 written page every day from 12 to age 65 is huge to me. I have such gratitude to God for this man and the way in which he has lived his life with God and people. His ways have so much to offer people wanting to think, last the long haul within a community of people, and to craft a creative life with GOd.
In speaking with Norah today she said that you need stamina to have done the things they have done. That not every day is a high or a mountain top experience, although Penrhys is on a mountain top, but that to stay somewhere and see things through and be with people - stamina is what gets you through.
I feel so rich with their stories of nonconformity, Welsh heritage, solidarity and partnership with Penrhys that I need more time to read, think and see how this relates again to our life with God in Wythenshawe and to the coming project of The Wythenshawe Gospels that is welling up within me.
