Examining "Where Is Your God?"

By Pamela C. Hawkins

  I've been thinking for months about the title of the current issue of Weavings, "Where Is Your God?" Of course one reason it has been rooted in my thoughts has been the stack of submitted manuscripts - prose and poetry - that kept growing in my inbox while we sought to make our selections for publication. I never cease to be in awe of how such a theme as this prompts writers to write and artists to create. Beautiful, painful, poignant, risky renderings came to us about how the Spirit of God wafts through and weaves together life and faith; and we, as best we can, read and honor each submission shared.
    But this time around, for me, the question of the theme struck a deep chord in my memory. I am reminded of a middle-aged man who, from his jail cell, asked me this question, "Where is your God?" He, accused of a cruel crime and abandoned by his pastor, and I, a "stand-in" pastor called to visit and listen to him, were brought together in a place alien to us both, to try to make sense of the question and an answer. I do not recall what I said to him, just that, at first, there was a lot of uncomfortable silence. But I do recall that I stayed awhile and that this question has never since been just a question.

How does this theme speak to you?

From Libby Baxter, a Weavings Reader

Since 2003, we have been offering Weavings Reading Groups as a small group experience of Christian spiritual formation.  The participants are given simple instructions:  1) Read the Weavings article slowly, savoring it and allowing it to provide a doorway into an encounter with your life story and God's presence in that story, and 2) Come to the meeting prepared to share just one insight and one question prompted by the reading of the article.  We have found that following these simple instructions results in reflective reading, sharing from the heart, and building Christian community.
    In 2007, our group read from the issues Be Still, Abide in Me, and Learning Discretion.  Some of the insights and questions that came to the participants were:
-    I sometimes mistake "hyper-responsibility" for authentic discipleship.
-    What makes an act of stillness counter-cultural?
-    The spirit in which we handle our conflict is perhaps more important than the conflict itself.
-    Could the practice of Christ-like humility really help us bear with one another?
-    How do we discern when to give voice to the "fierceness of our passions"?
The balance of sharing and silent reflection in a Weavings group is a gift to the participants, and the participants' growth in Christian formation is a gift to the church and to the world.

Libby Baxter, Minister of Discipleship
Calvary United Methodist Church, Nashville, TN

If you have received the recent Weavings, you can see that the journal has taken on a new expression of the great tradition it represents. We hope that this format brings new life to your experience with Weavings in community, prayer, and contemplation.  We love receiving your feedback on Facebook. Now you can also share what you think with us on our website.  Click here to share your thoughts with us in an anonymous survey.