Shakespeare and the Bible

I have just finished reading Shakespeare and the Bible, by Steven Marx. 

It looks at where and how Shakespeare may have drawn on Biblical narratives in some of his plays, and where he makes allusions to the Bible. It also places some of the plays alongside books of the Bible, allowing such an exercise to evoke discoveries about both the Shakespearean and Biblical texts. 

I found it an interesting exercise. 

I didn't agree with all the conclusions, and I am not convinced that we can make claims about Shakespeare's purpose in using texts, or the comments he was intending to make. But what we can do is explore how biblical and Shakespearean texts handle similar themes, and consider what the texts say, and how they contribute to our own meaning making. 

Marx puts The Tempest alongside Genesis and Revelation, examining how Prospero is a god-figure, themes of creation and resolution of the/a world. He then explores the historical types of Moses, David and Henry V, concluding that both biblical and Shakespearean texts offer ambivalent portrayals of monarchy; favoured, divinely installed, but failing. Daniel Smith-Christopher, in his Cato lecture at Assembly, critiqued a biblical theology of monarchy on the basis that the monarchy is ultimately not the best way for the people of God to be ruled, culminating in the servant messiah of Christ, who turned the expectations of the people on their head. 

The discussions I found most helpful in Shakespeare and the Bible were of Job and King Lear and The Merchant of Venice and Romans. As I read both of these chapters I found myself imagining theatre productions that explore the issues Marx was highlighting. What would it be like to juxtapose the stories of Job and Lear on stage? How do their similarities and differences challenge us, move us, inspire us by offering new perspectives on two ancient and well known stories of suffering. It is interesting to note the possibility for both texts that the endings have been tampered with; that the story of Job doesn't necessarily originally end with the restoration of his prosperity; that the story of King Lear doesn't necessarily end with the possibility of hope in the words of the King. I've been sitting with Merchant for a decade, wondering how I would tell the story today. As I embark on the Esther Project, with its possibilities for conversation with Jewish and Muslim communities around our shared stories, I find Merchant a very difficult play indeed. For me, the play buys into anti-Semitism enough to suck the original audience in as it then portrays the Christians as not necessarily justified in their actions. Perhaps, though, it is too subtle in this message. Perhaps the need for the play to make a profit in the box office, and the very dangerous times in which Shakespeare wrote made such subtlety necessary. Or, on the other hand, perhaps I read too much into the play, and it does actually affirm the anti-Semitic behaviour of Elizabethan England. I would probably rewrite some of the commentary of this chapter on Romans and the comparisons made thereon with Merchant. I'm not sure about some of the claims that are made for Paul's attitude to Judaism - for example, that Paul wasn't furthering Judaism, but was definitely wanting to establish a new religious tradition. I'm just not convinced that is what Paul was doing. It certainly wasn't what Jesus was on about; he was a Jew, and states that he has come for Israel. 

I'm also not sure about the chapter that explores Measure for Measure alongside the Gospels. Measure is another difficult play, with its characters claiming morality and acting with blatant hypocrisy, and the Duke manipulating everyone. I didn't find this discussion as convincing as some of the others. 

This isn't a very good book review; I've been writing in an attempt to work out what I thought of the book for myself, and if you read this you get to eavesdrop on my thoughts. I'll go back and read the book again, if for no other reason than for its bringing together of the two collections of stories that speak to the deepest part of my being. 

another post from Assembly - one day to go

OK, it's been a busy day again, and I've been making notes of the things I want to record in this space. 

Last night I went out for dinner with friends I made on the trip to the UK last year, some who are at Assembly and two others who met us here. We ate at a lovely Lebanese restaurant in Surrey Hills, called The Prophet, and it was a great evening. Firstly, to be away from here, in a different space emotionally and physically, and secondly to reconnect with some new friends who shared a significant experience. 

I was going to write about the Cato lecture that we heard on Saturday night, from Daniel Smith Christopher, but I think I'll leave that for now. I will come back to it, but I'm still processing. 

We had another approach to delivering the bible study this morning, this time framing the discussion with a poem from Thomas Keneally called 'I thirst'. The discussion was also interspersed effortlessly and without too much quoting of chapter and verse with words from Jesus. We explored what it is Jesus might thirst for - peace, and the billions of dollars spent on warfare efforts in comparison with the proportion of that bill that would be needed to address poverty, aids, education, particularly in the poorer nations of our world. I asked the question of those sitting with me - why do governments then not do it? We wondered if we can ask that question if we are not also asking the question of ourselves, how are we spending our money? If we are spending our money on maintaining old and outdated and ineffectual worship for the few instead of on quenching the thirst of people on our doorsteps, how can we ask the government to spend its money quenching the thirst of others? And it's not a question of getting our own house in order first, we must do both simultaneously, and risk a charge of hypocrisy, if we can show that we, too, are struggling to find authenticity in the stewardship of our resources. To do that is to embody the peace of Jesus Christ, who acted and called others to act. 

There were some signs of hope today. We passed the proposal for the amended preamble to the UCA constitution. The gloss was taken off this momentous decision somewhat by the fact that it had to go to formal voting (the UCA uses consensus decision making procedures, which I am not going to explain here). However, we as an Assembly still thus said to the Indigenous members of our church, most of us stand with you and grant you your request with grace and in love. There was further deliberation during the day on further constitutional changes that help the church and Congress live out our Covenantal relationship, some of which was frustrating. We received a blessing from Congress at the end of business in the afternoon session, which did give us an opportunity to express our joy, and to celebrate this step towards healing. 

Another sign of hope was in three proposals to offer greetings and words of encouragement and solidarity to our friends in troubled lands. Our prayers were sincere, and our desire to follow up our words with actions of solidarity a heart warming sign of hope that we do, indeed, live out our relationship with Jesus Christ. 

There were still some moments when it appears that we are not always willing or able to trust our councils, processes, each other, with being able to do their work in the life of the church with  integrity and accountability. However, the vast majority do, in the end, trust. 

How's that for a day? There is much happening here at this Assembly, some frustrating things, some hurtful moments, and some hopeful, joyful signs of our life as the body of Christ in Australia. I am very pleased to be here, taking part in this aspect of the life of the church in Australia, at a national level. It is hard work, but worthy work; there are a lot of words, but they do, for the most part, seem to stem from and enable actions of integrity; and I have enjoyed meeting people from different parts of Australia engaged in the mission of God through the Uniting Church to which I feel so connected and dedicated. It's not a perfect church by any means, but it is my church, and I am proud to claim it. 

My heart is heavy, my hope wavering

Yesterday afternoon was a difficult session. So many people felt hurt, unsafe, confused. 

We were considering a proposal to amend the preamble of our constitution. The amendment would include the story of the Indigenous people of this land, and their relationship with the Uniting Church (and the three uniting traditions). It is a difficult story to tell; a hard truth to hear. And there are clearly still issues of misunderstanding between Aboriginal and Islander people and other members of the church, particularly around how we name our experience of God. 

By the end of the session, I was in tears, and my heart was heavy. I am so disappointed that we couldn't hear the pleas of Indigenous and non-Indigenous members to hear this proposal as a request from our sisters and brothers to help us all live out our covenant relationship (the covenant came out of the 1994 Assembly meeting), and for the rest of the church to accept that request with grace. 

We have adjourned the discussion on the proposal, and will be considering the proposal again this morning. I hope we can this time act with grace, and acknowledge the ugly truth of the history of the relationship between first and second people to this land, affirm the place of our Indigenous members in the Uniting Church, and celebrate the hope of the covenant that tells our story truthfully, tells the story of our dreams and vision for the reconciliation Jesus, the Sacred Spirit, our Creator may bring in our land, between our many different peoples. 

A lot of people were hurting last night. May the Sacred Spirit heal us. 

more from Assembly

Today has been long, as has every day at Assembly. I'm about to go to the public lecture to be given by Daniel Smith Christopher, talking about prophets, and other things. 

I was struck this morning at how much more difficult it was to engage with the Bible study presented in a more lecture type manner than it was to engage with yesterday's (given by the same people). Yesterday, the study consisted mostly of an imagined conversation between a Jewish man and a Samaritan woman, who meet by chance at a public well. This dramatisation was offered as a reflection on the story of Jesus' encounter with the Samaritan woman at a well. It was very well done, and didn't get preachy, though offering as it was these characters' reflections on meanings they had gleaned from the Hebrew Scriptures and also from Jesus' teaching (for they discovered that they were both followers of the Way). I thoroughly enjoyed it, as did those with whom I have spoken about it. I think that what was different about the ease of engagement with the first study as compared to the second (which I think was on water and its ability to be not only life giving but dangerous or threatening), was that by using the medium of story, the presenters offered something different to what we get in the business sessions - namely straight talking in a more business like manner. A story, a dialogue, is profoundly different, even in its wordiness. There was more room for space between speakers, as they took on board what the other had said, there was more room for embodiment of the characters, using gesture, humour, facial expression to great effect. Embodying characters, using emotion, engaged our emotions, not just our minds, and invited us into the story, allowed us to take the story into ourselves. Much more powerful, much more effective, to the extent that people were talking about Baruch and Erebecca throughout the day. I thought they didn't even need to add the exposition at the end ... 

In the evening session, I was stirred by the Spirit to speak. I had spoken once already at Assembly, but this was a difficult task, and yet there was no way I could shrink from it. You may have experienced such moments when you know you have to speak up, because someone must, and the Spirit seems to be prompting you to be the one, even though it may be an issue you didn't realise you were passionate about. Actually I was more concerned with the act of speaking and standing up for another than I was about the content of what I was to say I confess. 

A young person had asked a question of the proposers, and was not treated well in the manner of the response given. I had to speak. I had to stand up in that assembly beside her. She had not been heard. We needed to restore her voice. 

So I spoke to her, asked if she would mind if I restated the question in different words, and she agreed. I spoke. She was grateful for the act of solidarity, and for the words I spoke. 

Many people last night, and still today, have thanked me for speaking at that time, for holding that young person safe on their behalf, and for acting with courage. Most of us didn't know this young person personally, but nevertheless, I received the thanks of many for what I did. 

I am grateful for the prompting of the Spirit - when it comes to words, I know that is a gift I have been given. To be able to rephrase her question and in that way stand alongside her was a privilege, and an honour. 

We have some difficult proposals in the second half of our meeting, and we are running out of time. Hold us in your prayers over the next few days. 

However, we celebrate the election of Andrew Dutney, principle of Uniting College, as President-elect of the UCA. 

Tomorrow I think we will be electing more members of Assembly to other roles in the ongoing work of Assembly. 

check out this website, a response of some of the younger members of Assembly to the proceedings ... 

Tonight, after the lecture, we will be going to the pub to celebrate! 

I am at the 12 Assembly meeting - the national council of the UCA - at Uni NSW in Sydney. Last night we installed (yep, that's what they call it, Alastair said he felt like a light bulb ...) Alastair Macrae as our new President. The opening service at which this happened was amazing in its multiculturalism - seamlessly incorporating people from some of the main cultural groups represented in the UCA. Particularly members from the Uniting Aboriginal and Islander Christian Congress, which is the Indigenous Congress in covenant with the Uniting Church, but also people with Korean, Fijian, Indonesian, and heaps of other cultural backgrounds. Some of their languages appeared on the screen at various times, and Story was told in one of the Indigenous languages. The music was really good - words I could sing without cringing, two violins, three guitars, two singers, brilliant pianist and drums. The singers were great! At one point they added some singers and did a more chant like song in four part harmony, which was fabulous (though one of the singers was quieter than the others, so she was harder to hear unfortunately). 

Today we began the business of the meeting with a celebration of the covenant between the Indigenous members and non indigenous members of the UCA. Mmm what else. (A group of us went to the pub after the close of the business for the evening and I'd not eaten for a while before I drank a couple of beers ...)

We're spending a bit of time on the revision of the code of ethics for Ministers in the UCA. Bit difficult to get 280 people to agree on wording ... It's these moments when I feel sorry for the committee who have been working on the wording for months only to have us pick it to pieces in various places. 

We've had small group discussion of some of the reports that have been received - there is a lot happening on the national stage of the church, a lot to be thankful for and to give us hope. My group spent some time talking about the work of the Christian Unity committee, who are building our relationships with other Christian churches in Australia and around the world. We also talked about defence forces chaplaincy, and the report of the Ministerial Educational Commission, who are putting a proposal to the Assembly, which we also talked about. Can't really talk here about the detail of the discussion, but these are the sorts of issues the Assembly is discussing this week, if you want to know. 

Gregor Henderson, the outgoing President, addressed the meeting, and had a hopeful message for the church. I took his appraisal of a key area of growth for the UCA, interfaith relationships, as support for one of the mandates I'd like to implement for the Esther Project - to create space for the Abrahamic faith communities - Muslim, Jewish, Christian - to hear each other's engagement with the Sacred Stories that we share. 

This evening we heard the report of the UAICC, and I was struck again by the growing, not diminishing, divide between Indigenous and non indigenous Australians in health, employment, housing, education. The speakers noted that this crushes the spirit of the people, so the key focus for the Indigenous church is to nurture the spirit of the people, so that they might find hope and healing. After all, if the people don't have hope, remain broken in their spirit, what good will any program be? 

And throughout the time I've already had many conversations with people about the Esther Project, and receiving much encouragement as people hear the story, the hopes, the dream. 

At the pub, I had an interesting conversation about the concerns for the place of women in leadership in the UCA. There is considerable concern that many of the key leadership positions in the church are held by men, and it must be said, mostly men from one area of the theological spectrum, and how will we make space for women to be valued enough to be elected to these sorts of roles? What can we do, how can we make changes, to enable women to be on equal footing. Unfortunately there are still men around who cannot be led by women. Who cannot bring themselves to look a woman in the eye and see her as an equal. Is it fear? I don't know. I hope I can write the characters of Esther and Mordecai to portray partnership between men and women in a positive and hopeful light. I would like to think this story can speak into our present context and offer us some hope. 

For now, though, I'd better get some sleep - there is still a long way to go in this meeting. I must say again that it is worth the seven days of meetings to make connections with people from other parts of our church, to hear the stories of the things the church is doing nationally, to be encouraged that the Spirit of God is stirring within the soul of Australia, and the Uniting Church is out there with her. 

The LIttle Brewing Company - Port Macquarie

Mmm, beer. 

We discovered a local brewing company today - actually we saw their name in some of the brochures, and being a beer fan, and having many friends who also like their beer, I thought I should check it out. We drove past Sunday afternoon to discover that the cellar door was open Monday to Friday, Saturday, and Sunday when they are there. This Sunday they weren't. We drove past again Monday, but were greeted by another sign, this time regretfully announcing that the cellar door wouldn't be open that day due to illness. We drove past again today, my last opportunity before leaving for Sydney tomorrow - and we got lucky. They were open. Just. Poor Kylie, one of the owner/operators, was really not well, but she managed to lead us through a tasting of their beers, and give us some history of their business. 

The Little Brewing Company has been open for two years, is run by three people, and produces excellent beer. They use only the best ingredients, local as much as possible, but imported because only the best will do, and use very time intensive methods in order to produce beer they can be proud of. 

The main label at the moment is Wicked Elf - Pilsner, Whitbier, Pale Ale - and they have another range called Abbot beer. I think my favourite was the Whitbier - a Belgian white beer which uses less hops and more spices. The aroma is delightful, and the taste just as good. It is a very easy beer to drink. The Pilsner is based on the Czechoslovakian style of pilsner, which Kylie says is the best. They therefore use Czecholslovakian hops in the brewing. It's also delightful, and this one was Mum and Dad's favourite. The Pale was an American style of pale, which mum and I both don't like as much Australian pales, being used to Coopers I guess. The Abbot one was to be drunk warmer, and with desserts and cheeses. Mum and I both like the idea of that! 

The Abbot's beer is named because the method of brewing of this range derives from the Trapist monastery style of brewing. Because this company is not a monastery, they can't name this beer trapist, but it is an abbey style. It gives me pleasure to carry on the tradition of appreciating wine and beer as have religious communities and individuals throughout history! 

We agree that we wouldn't drink these beers on a hot day as a cool drink. These beers are for appreciating, deliberating over, contemplating with. The Little Brewing Company have won many national and international awards for their beers over the past fourteen months, and there is no surprise there. With their dedication, and the integrity of their methods, the excellent water at Port Macquarie, and the excellent quality of the ingredients that go into the beer, it is well worth drinking if you want to drink beer for more than quenching a thirst. This is the connoisseur's beer. And it is well worth supporting an Australian company competing with bigger international companies, and winning! 

They are available nationally through Dan Murphy's, and you can check them out yourself if you visit Port Macquarie, or on their website. I recommend it! 

whale watching in port macquarie

We went out on a boat into the Tasman Sea this morning to watch humpback whales on their journey north. 

They are lovely creatures. We saw them in twos and threes, and a pod of five or six, and we travelled with them for about two kilometres or more. It was captivating. Such grace and beauty displayed by such large creatures. 

It was a little disappointing that the operator of another cruise was cutting the whales off, breaking the pod up - our skipper said this is actually illegal behaviour, not to mention how disrespectful it is to the whales themselves. 

Which brings me to a point I can't quite reconcile. I am dead against activities like horse racing, which explicitly exploit animals in service of human greed - and yes, I feel this is exploitation in a different way to farming animals for food. That seems to me to be more about the survival systems of creation, whereas training horses to run fast around a track with a rider on their back, for our entertainment, and more, for the insipid activities of gambling which harm more than just the horses, I cannot agree with. 

So where does whale watching come in - how much is this exploitation of the wales, with our interruption of their annual migration for our pleasure, and how much is it an activity promoting our celebration of creation, whales themselves, and understanding, fostering respect for the creatures to whom we are charged to give care?? 

For the most part, with skippers and tour operators who respect the animals and minimise the interruption to the whales, I think whale watching is part of our celebration of creation, our understanding of the whales, and our efforts to better understand them. 

But when tour operators become competitive, wanting to give their customers the 'best' view, at the cost of the comfort and safety of the whales, then we are exploiting them. 

So I am very glad we happened upon a tour operator with integrity - in fact, we went on a cruise with them yesterday up the river system where we discovered more about oyster farming and the ecosytstem in this area. Again, that tour was conducted with respect for the river, the farmers, for creation. Mum and Dad are going on another tour with them on Wednesday, after I leave for Sydney, further up the river. May we always be so lucky to happen upon business people with integrity, and may we show them our support and appreciation for that. 

So, if you are in Port Macquarie, I recommend taking a tour with cruise adventures. 

the weaving of stories

Reading Psalm 49 this morning, I was struck by the thought that there is no ransom we can pay for our lives, that our fate is the same as all things that die - namely, death. But God chooses to 'pay the ransom' and receive us to Godself. It's interesting to find this image in the Hebrew Bible, where mostly the thought is that when we die, that's it, we are separated from God, so please God don't let me die. But here is a hint that Sheol / the pit may not be the ultimate fate, it may be possible that God will take us to Godself, and that our fate may not actually be that of the animals that perish. Interesting. 

Of course for a Christian, the language of ransom resonates with the story of Jesus, who gave his life a ransom for many (Matt 20:28, Mark 10:45). 

I don't know that I necessarily find the language of ransom very helpful - for instance, who is the ransom paid to? it's not a metaphor that can be taken too far. anyway, the point is that all life ends in death, but God chooses to take us to Godself rather than leave us to that fate. And that is an image I can hold onto. 

In the introductory verses of this Psalm are other words that resonate with me at present. 

My mouth shall speak wisdom;

the meditation of my heart shall be understanding. 

I will incline my ear to a proverb;

I will solve my riddle to the music of the harp. 

This strikes me as the prayer of the bard, the storyteller, of a people. Such a one is set apart to know intimately the wisdom contained in the stories of her people, to meditate so as to understand and speak wisdom from those stories into the present experience of the people. To be open to the mysteries of proverb and riddles; to hear wisdom in wordless ways. 

Of course, I identify as a storyteller, that's how I see the role of Minister of the Word, for me at least. Also, though, I have been reading again a book recommended to me by a past mentor, The Circle and the Cross, by Caiseal Mor. 

It's the first in a series of three books telling the story of the bards of Ireland, and the meeting of the ways of Eirinn with Christianity. It was recommended to me by this mentor who saw in me something of the bard who travels among the people telling the stories, singing the songs, leading rituals for the important moments in life. 

And so, as often happens in life, the stories we read, the Sacred Story, and the story of our life resonate to lead us to understanding of ourselves, the Sacred and our world. 

The Sacred Story : A day of workshops

We had a successful day of biblical storytelling workshops on Saturday. 

The participants did well to get up early on a Saturday, but were supported in their efforts to wake up with coffee and tea, and yummy morning tea. 

Our opening worship time invited us to bring our passion, our storytelling gifts, ourselves to this community for a day, making a beautiful bouquet as individual flowers do in a vase. 

Andrew McDonough led us in some reflections on the dangerous side of stories before lunch. In the struggle to bring about the reign of God, Jesus models a subversive strategy, as opposed to a warrior who will overturn unjust empires. The subversive way of Jesus is the way of Story, planting stories in the hearts of listeners that will weave their way into the fabric of their lives, transforming those with ears to hear with the Spirit of love, justice, peace. 

On a wintry day, soup and rolls warmed our bodies, and filled our tummies, before the afternoon workshops. 

I was in the one on Godly Play, led by Jennifer Pickard. I'm still processing my response to the different approach of Godly Play to storytelling. In Godly Play, you have figures representing elements and characters in the story, which you move around on a mat or a tray of sand as you tell the story. While you're doing this, you do not look up from the story, do not engage the listeners with eye contact. The reason I love storytelling is that it frees you from the written text of the Bible to be able to meet the eyes of the listeners, communicating a story you have lived with and internalised, communicating meaning from your heart to theirs. So while I see the purpose of no eye contact for the Godly Play method of telling stories, it still sits awkwardly for me. 

Meanwhile Gillian Powis was leading a workshop introducing the biblical storytelling method. 

Then while Catie Morrison led a workshop on reflecting on the process of storytelling, I led one on reading the Bible aloud. I had a splitting headache all day, so I'm not sure how effectively I led the workshop, but we had some good conversations about our experiences of reading aloud in worship settings, and thought through some of the processes that can help us prepare our heart, mind and body for communicating the Sacred Story. We wondered about emotion - and how much we allow ourselves to feel emotion as we read the story aloud, or whether it is more helpful to allow the story to move us deeply as we prepare, but to feel the emotion only as much as will help us to effectively communicate the emotion, will invite the listeners to engage with the story and allow it to move them. Because if we are too visibly moved by a story, we get in the way of the story, and become a distraction. There were other elements we talked about, too. 

Overall the day seemed to go well, the participants seemed mostly to appreciate what was being offered by the facilitators, and we may have begun to gather some momentum and support for the national gathering being held in Adelaide in 2010. 

 

The Esther Project – Business or Community?

I've been thinking a lot this week about how we approach this new venture that I've begun. Is it a business, which we need to register, draw up a constitution for, and manage? Or is it a faith community, whose mission is the business of telling stories, managing theatre projects, gathering around meals, welcoming, encouraging and affirming experiences of the Sacred, each others' stories, creative / artistic / less conventional ways of expressing our praise, thanks, wonder at the Holy One? 

I began from the first point of view, but have turned now and see the Esther Project as the latter. 

The challenge for me, its student minister, is to hold both the community nurture, teaching, woshipping alongside the theatre project, and offer care to both the members of the community and to the workers involved in the project (some of whom will fall into both categories). 

It's been good to work through this, and continue to clarify the goal and vision of this project, my placement, and to learn that this will be the challenge for me in any ministry setting. The minister is set apart in order to offer care, teaching, to lead and encourage others to lead within the congregation / faith community - and also to help the community to engage in God's mission in the world - out there - thus balancing the nurture and growth of the community itself, and managing or enabling mission engagement through projects, partnerships, and for this community, through the many ways we tell our story. 

So story is our reason for being, the Sacred Story is the ongoing story of God's relationship with us, and we will reflect on that, we will engage with it, we will invite others to be transformed by that Story and live it out in their lives. Story is the way we will gather, worship, pray, care for one another, build community, move towards wholeness and healing. And Story is our mission - sharing this Story that has been handed down in our tradition with the wider community, seeking to understand the faith traditions that share part of our story, but not all, intentionally listening for and hearing the story of our community, engaging with it, and bearing witness to the radical difference the Sacred Story can make to the story of our lives. 

pub church conversation