Speaking of Jacob’s ladder (the original “Stairway to Heaven”) it comes up in tomorrow’s lectionary. There is some great rabbinic commentary on this episode in Jacob’s enforced flight from home to escape the wrath of Esau whom he diddled of his birthright. Jacob camps out in the open and has a dream – angels travelling up and down a stairway or ramp between heaven and earth. Jacob hears God’s voice reinforcing his role as the heir of Abraham’s blessing. Jacob awakens overcome with awe and marks the place as Bethel (“House of God”). What do the angels mean? The rabbis variously see the angels as representing our choices to move towards or away from God. Sometimes these choices are deliberate, other times they are simply to be recognised as movements within our soul. Whatever, Jacob has a way to go before he is able to appropriate a wounded integrity that makes reconciliation with Esau possible. His dream, however, is worth contemplating when I’m in flight from something I’m trying to avoid.
Meeting God at the Movies
A little something about a research project of mine. Literature abounds on the meeting place of theology (particularly Christian) and contemporary cinema. As one who is engaged in spiritual direction, I am interested in how a person may encounter the transcendent and immanent in their movie going experience. Has a movie ever been the source of a Jacob’s Ladder event (“Surely God is in this place and I did not know it”)? Has it moved you to a different level of human awareness? Has it been redemptive in some way? Was it a source of either consolation or desolation? Did it affect you vocationally? I’m about to launch into the research phase of the project with some willing guinea pigs. The outcome will hopefully be useful to the spiritual direction community.
The Beginning
Blogging seems to be where it’s at. I have gained much from blogs I have read in recent times. Maybe its time to start giving back.
The monicker “wondering pilgrim” came out of the blue as setup asked me for a blog name, but it seems to be apt. I am wondering where blogging may lead, and my stance to life is that of a pilgrim on a journey of discovery, even at the ripe old age of fifty five. This is not to say that I have not already been greatly enriched by what life has offered and, indeed, what life has enticed me to return.
I will blog mostly from the stance of one who is involved in Christian ministry, using this space as a sounding board to myself and others who are interested enough to walk with me a while. And let’s just see what happens! I’m open to chasing rabbits through paddocks and as far down the burrow as we can go, fishing for red herrings in bottomless buckets, and generally chewing the fat with anyone so inclined. Here endeth the beginning!
Wondering Pilgrim 