IMAGES OF GOD Day Retreat

The Well Member Care Center

LEADER We thank you Lord for bringing us here today, for gathering us together at this point in

our individual journeys so that we may spend time with you in corporate solitude.

ALL Yahweh, we come from the ‘busyness’ of our daily lives into your peace. We carry all

sorts of images of You in our minds and hearts. As we spend time in silence and re-

flection, may You reveal more of Yourself to us. May we come to know You more

clearly this day.

FIRST CANDLE IS LIT

LEADER We thank you God of Creation that you cannot be contained in one image, in one word,

that you are constantly calling us to break open the vessels of containment that we try to

hold you in and to widen and deepen our image of you.

ALL God of Challenge, sometimes we struggle with the changes that we must endure be-

fore we can see you more truly. Help us to name our fears and problems honestly

before You in prayerful expectation. May we gain more confidence in You this day.

SECOND CANDLE IS LIT

LEADER We thank you, God of Love, that before we were born you knew us. You knit us together

in our mother’s womb just as you knit our understanding of you together as we grow in our

experience of you. We look forward to that time of total knowing when our partial and

clouded images of you are blown away and we finally know you fully.

ALL As we spend this day with You, may we come to know more deeply that You care

about us as individuals and that we belong to You. May we let you work in us today

with the humble acceptance that our knowing is so partial and with the bold hope of

the day when our knowing is completed in your presence. AMEN

THIRD CANDLE IS LIT

Opening Prayer

© Sue Pickering 2006—used with permission.

O God of many names, teach us to be alert for new ways of naming your presence

in our lives. Help us to let go of old punishing labels, carried for decades in the

recesses of our souls. Within those spaces, may the fresh wind of your Spirit sing

words of grace, helping us to see and name ourselves as beloved and precious in

your sight. AMEN

Closing Prayer

Based on Sue Pickering © 2006—used with permission.

Images of God :: Introduction

“Who do you say that I am?” Jesus asked his disciples, and the question is

just as relevant to us as well. Much of our prayer, and indeed how we

live our life of faith, is influenced by the way that we view God. We are

not talking here about the ‘right’ answer we give when asked what God

is like, but rather our (often subconscious) image of God that influences

how we pray/live/relate to God on a daily basis.

This image of God is crafted like a patchwork quilt made up of all sorts of

bits and pieces that we have picked up as we have journeyed through life.

Pieces such as:

Our early childhood experiences in the hands of caregivers—

positive and negative

Religious or other authority figures in childhood

Scriptural images

Ideas and thoughts about God, eg shaped by the teaching of a par-

ticular faith community or denomination

Our feelings about God

Our ideas about God’s attributes and character

Our individual and corporate religious / spiritual experiences

Cultural influences

Representations of God in art

The names others use for God

The lives of others

Life events, especially major transitions including grief, immigration

and birth

Our image of God isn’t static either. As we grow and mature and we

encounter things which challenge or hurt us, our view of God changes.

How we relate to God as a five year old is different to how we relate in

mid-life. In this retreat there are some tools to help you think about

how your view has changed and to unpack some aspects of your current

image/s. Try not to be judgemental or sentimental about your images of

God—try instead to focus on what God is wanting to say to you through

these.

The Spirit—through the nitty gritty of life—constantly invites us to deep-

en, expand and heal our images of God. Our prayer for you is that this

retreat will provide you with space and time to consider that invitation. Based on material from Sue Pickering

How to use this booklet

In this booklet are a number of ideas for different ways of exploring our image of God. Our personalities

are all different so not all of these will appeal to you, and that is why there is a range of activities—visual,

mental, tactile. Don’t try to do all the exercises in one sitting, but ask God to lead you to what will be

most beneficial to you.

The next page has a range of biblical and historical images that may be helpful as a reference for you dur-

ing the retreat.

Biblical Images of God

Scripture presents many images and metaphors for us to use in understanding who God is. These are just

a few of them and you may think of others to add to this list.

You might like to consider which images:

Thanks to Sheila Pritchard for compiling this

Other historical images of God are:

Woman in labour Isaiah 42:14

Healer or doctor Psalm 147:3

Door or gate John 10:7

Potter Jeremiah 18

Rest giver Matthew 11:28-30

Shepherd Luke 15:4-7

Midwife Psalm 22:9-10

Lover Song of Solomon

Homemaker Luke 15:8-10

Water Isaiah 44:3; 55:1

Hen Matthew 23:37

Father Luke 15:11-32

Rock Psalm 18:31

Vine John 15

Mother bear Hosea 13:8

Mother eagle Deuteronomy 32:10-12

Shield Psalm 18:2

Fire Malachi 3:2; Hebrews 12:29

Lamb John 1:29

Fortress Psalm 31:2

Husband Isaiah 54:5

Judge Genesis 18:25

Mother Psalm 131:2; Isaiah 66:13

Nursing mother Isaiah 49:15; Numbers 11:12-13

Woman giving birth Deuteronomy 31:18

Dove Matthew 3:16

Light John 8:12

King Revelation 19:16

Wind John 3:8

Wisdom Proverbs 8,9

Bridegroom Matthew 25:1-13

Bread John 6:35

Tree Hosea 14:8

The Way John 14:6

Record keeper Avenger

Puppet-master Still, small voice within

Artist Source of all being

Director Pursuer, Seeker

Watcher, spy Santa Claus

appeal to you surprise you

make you feel uncomfortable reassure you

Use this sheet to reflect on your present view of God and how this influences how you live and how you pray.

Don’t rush – stay with those questions that seem most important to you and ask God to speak to you through this

process. Use your journal if you need more space.

What is your main image of God at present? i.e Who is God for you now?

What names do you call God when you pray?

Where is God when you pray or think about God?

What special name do you have for God?

What challenges do my images of God present for my faith and for my prayer life?

What images of God are least life-giving and most life-giving for me? You might like to refer

to the list of biblical images of God or to any others that you have identified in your life.

How do you respond to the idea that God loves you and desires to heal the distortions in

your images of God?

Have you ever thought of praying to God asking to be shown how God would like to be

seen?

Who is God for me?

As we grow our image of God changes. On the diagram below (or on another sheet) write in the sort of

God you pictured at different stages of your life. You might like to mark the life events which helped to

developed new images of God. Are there any images that aren’t helpful or true anymore? You might like

to cross these out as a way of letting these go.

How do I see God—past and present?

In the picture below, imagine that God is the tree. Throughout the tree are lots of figures in different

places in relationship with the tree (God). Which figure do you identify with in terms of your current

relationship with God? (You may want to imagine yourself even further away – that’s ok too.) Go with

your gut instinct, and then spend some time thinking through why this attracted you. What does God

want to say to you about your relationship now?

Where am I in God?

Openness to God involves placing ourselves in

his hands and begging him to re-shape and re-

mould us...Lectio divina, or “sacred read-

ing” (instructions below) is one way we can open

ourselves to God and place ourselves in his

hands. Pick one of the biblical images of God

that attracts you from the page of these you have

and prayerfully read the associated bible passage

using the method below. (Note: You may need

to expand the passage slightly, but try not to go

beyond 10-15 verses.)

What is Lectio divina? Lectio divina or sacred reading is a simple and ancient way of praying with Scripture. It leads us naturally

from a rational consideration of how a few verses of Scripture might connect with our current life, to a

personal response in prayer and a gentle resting in the love of God, the beginnings of contemplation.

This practice emerged in the early history of the Church, finding its way into European monasticism

through Cassian and St Benedict. Now it is being reclaimed by Christians as another gift of grace and

growth in Christ.

The practice of Lectio divina

Preparation quieten yourself for a few moments and then choose a short passage of Scripture or other

spiritual reading (such as the Gospel passages listed on the opposite page)

Lectio trusting that the Holy Spirit is there to help you, read through the passage several times really

SLOWLY. Some people find that reading aloud helps to slow them down. Let the words move deeply into

your being, like nourishing rain into the soil. Allow a word or a phrase to touch you.

Meditatio reflect on the word or phrase that has touched you, exploring what it means to you here and

now. Let the word or phrase speak to your personal situation; believe that through this process God is

communicating with you, perhaps giving a word of encouragement or of challenge, or calling you to a

deeper awareness of God’s love for you.

Oratio in this part of Lectio divina, you respond to God. You talk to God about what you have been

thinking and what you have heard through the words of Scripture. You might pray your response or write

in your journal, even sing or dance or paint your response ...pray as the Spirit moves you whether in grati-

tude, longing, repentance or intercession.

Contemplatio in this final and most important stage, sit quietly with God, at rest in the presence of the

One who loves you. Do not worry that you may appear to be doing ‘nothing’.. Trust that the Holy Spirit

is at work in the depths of your spirit, deepening your faith. Let the Word move from your head to your

heart to dwell there in peace-full silence.

Source: Sue Pickering for SGM 2005

Scriptures for meditation

Dear God...

In the space below, or in your journal, write a poem/prayer/psalm/letter/email to God using a wholesome

or helpful image of God, however novel or unconventional.

After you have done that, write God’s response to you.

Talk to God about what you have discovered in this process.

Drawing as prayer

In the space below, or in your journal, draw a picture or symbol to represent your current image of God.

If you find it hard to draw an image then you might like to just use colour to represent your feelings and

thoughts about God at present.

After you have done that, add to the picture some representation of yourself, that will show your relation-

ship to God at this time in your life.

Talk to God about what you have discovered in this process.

Find or make a collection of photos. Look through the photos and ask God to draw you to a photo that

has something that fits with an image of God that you hold. When you have selected an image find some-

where quiet and look at the photo and talk to God about it...

Think about what drew you to this photo, and then you might like to ask yourself some of the following

questions:

What thoughts/feelings/reaction does this photo evoke in you?

What does it say to you about your image of God?

What does God like about this photo?

What would God like to say to you through this image?

What do you want to say to God about how you feel right now?

Keep the photo — you might like to write some of your reflections on the back or paste it into your jour-

nal.

Photos as prayer

Reflect

Read the following excerpt from Brennan Manning’s book, The Furious Longing of God, where he talks about

how his image of God has changed. Spend time reflecting on what thoughts/feelings/reactions it evokes in

you. What might God be wanting to say to you through this passage?

“The apostle Paul prays for us all in Ephesians 3:17-19 (NASB):

That you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints

what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which

surpasses all knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.

Do you hear what Paul is saying? The love of Christ is beyond knowledge. We’ve got to let go of our im-

poverished, circumcised, tradionalist, legalistic, human perceptions of God and open ourselves to the God

in Jesus Christ. If we will, the promise is that we will be filled up with the fullness of God. That is truly

good news.

So much of what was presented to me as real in bygone days, I now see as fictitious. The splenetic god of

alternating moods, the prejudiced god partial to Catholics, the irritated god disgusted with believers, the

warrior god of the “just” war, the fickle god of casuistic morality, tut-tutting our little weaknesses, the pe-

dantic god of the spiritually sophisticated, the myriad of gods who imprisoned me in the house of fear; I

could go on.

Von Balthasar’s credo rings true to me: “Love alone is credible.” The real God of unrestricted love corre-

sponds to the Jesus of my journey.

The closer I come to death, the less inclined I am to limit the wisdom and infinity of God.”

Hints for making the most of the silence

1. Do nothing at all... just “be” ... sit or kneel or lie down and wait for God to lead, to speak, to

put ideas and thoughts and pictures and prayers into the mind. Rest and relax in the Lord.

2. Weather permitting go and enjoy being outside.

3. Use something to “spark off” your prayer : meditate on a Bible passage related to the theme, or

use some of the material provided; pray the words of a favourite hymn or song or prayer.

4. Use the time to have an honest talk to God about where you are at... face up to yourself and

your particular needs, trusting that God will deal with these if you give Him time and room.

5. Think about your current prayer life and ask God if He desires to show you any new ways of

praying.

6. Spend some time journalling... writing or drawing your ideas and explorations about your life

and where God seems to be.... or about His absence... then talk to God about what you have

written.

7. Use coloured pens or crayons to express what is happening for you at this particular time in

your life.

8. Feel free to spend time talking with one of the retreat facilitators if an issue arises which you want

help to explore.

“Be still and know that I am God”

Questions to consider afterwards:

How was it for you, as you stopped and consciously spent this time in God’s pres-

ence today? Any surprises? Struggles?

What did you discover about yourself? About God?

Did you sense God saying anything to you? Is there something God wants you to

think about, spend more time with, or is inviting you towards?