Collisions with God
The great 12th Century Persian mystic and poet, Shamsuddin Muhammad Hafiz wrote the following short poem, of which I am very fond:
God
and I have become
like two giant fat people living
in a tiny
boat.
We
keep bumping into
each other
and
laughing.
I am very fond of this poem because it is one to which I can relate. God and I have been bumping into one another for all of my life. Or, to be truthful, I have been trying my best to avoid God; but God, like some persistent, divine dodgem car, has always ensured we were on a collision course.
And I think that that’s why I am today a candidate to the ordained ministry; I am the fissionable remains of constantly being impacted by God. And yet I still feel as though I’m living on a tiny boat (even if I don’t quite deserve the description of a “giant fat person”!), bumping into God at unexpected moments. And sometimes I’m tossed overboard, into the bracing waters of grace; but always I scramble back on board again, for I have discovered that even if the encounters are occassionally bruising (and why should Jacob at Peniel have had all the fun?), without them I am simply not whole.
Who would have thought it possible?
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About Me
My name is Brendan Byrne, and welcome to my new blog, a space especially dedicated to matters of faith: sermons, prayers, reflections, and occasionally a comment or two.
Firstly, a couple of housekeeping matters. This blog will not be replacing my old blog, Confessions From a Comfortable Couch. That blog will remain my blog dedicated to all manner of stuff and musings – except for matters of faith. So please continue to enjoy the comfy couch!
Second, why this new blog? Simply, it’s to do with the fact that I am now a formal candidate to the ordained ministry of the Uniting Church in Australia. I wanted to have a space where I could share my thoughts, musings, and impressions of the process of theological training and ministry formation. Also, because I am now being given opportunities within my local UCA congregation to preach and lead services (frequently in conjunction with my Dearly Beloved, also a ministry candidate), I wanted a place where I could provide copies of my sermons, prayers, devotions, reflections, etc, for others. Not, I hasten to add, because I am under any illusions that anything I have to say might be particularly groundbreaking or profound, just simply in order to share what I have to say (and to give you the opportunity to tell me what you think!)
So – the excuses made, it’s time to launch ourselves into the theological breach…fides quaerens intellectum.
