God's Dream: The Children's Book

I find Archbishop Tutu's message inspiring and was wondering how to share it with my young son. I was delighted to find books for children of all ages by the Archbishop. Even the youngest children can engage with the idea of ubuntu through the picture book God's Dream.

This sweet book speaks simply and lyrically straight to them. For example, one page reads, “God dreams that we reach out and hold one another's hands and play one another’s games and laugh with one another's hearts.” There the children are playing outside, and all of the social dynamics of a group of children at play are evident. Some are playing happily together, others are arguing over possession of a ball. The vibrant illustrations by LeUyen Pham feature a multi-ethnic group of children and adults. The children (and animals!) have expressive faces, and it is easy for preschoolers to identify the emotions on each page. My preschooler pointed to the child being left out and the antagonism between a cat and a dog.

Older children may find Archbishop Tutu's Children of God Storybook Bible more compelling. Selected Old and New Testament stories are illustrated by twenty different artists in a variety of styles. The multiplicity of styles throughout the book is echoed by the variety of skin colors in the illustrations, showing that the Bible speaks to all humanity. Jesus and the other figures look like all of the peoples of the world.

Each selected Bible story is re-told in simple, clear language and balanced by an illustration that takes up about half of a two-page spread. At the end is a wonderful bonus, a simple prayer written by Archbishop Tutu. The prayers relate to the story yet capture an aspect of Archbishop Tutu's message. The story of Jesus being anointed ends with "Dear God, let me be generous with my love."

Together these three aspects of the book make for a very compelling whole.  Familiar stories are re-told and re-imagined, and the freshness is engaging.  The prayers inspire both contemplation and action.

“Dear God, please help me to share in your plan for the world.”

-Trisha Thorme

Chapter 8: In the Fullness of Time

"YET GOODNESS does not always prevail in the time frame of our lives." p. 122

In 1986 a Calypsonian Kelvin Pope ( The Mighty Duke ) born in the small village of Point Fortin, Trinidad asked the question in song "How Many More Must Die ?"

A wonderful calypso challenging the leaders of the world at that time, about how many persons needed to die in South Africa before they would be prepared to act courageously.

Unfortunately, this question once asked about death in South Africa could be construed as pertinent to so many U.S. cities today.

It is easy to  be saddened about the genocides in Rwanda, Bosnia and the atrocities of  the Sudan,  but what about the happenings in our own backyard?

All across the U.S., in cities the lives of young black men are seemingly taken for granted.  In Camden, Trenton, New York and Philadelphia the voices cry out,  "How many more must die?" Yes, even in gated communities like Sanford, Florida a young man visiting his father is not safe from harm.

Edmund Burke once reminded us " All that is necessary for the triumph of evil, is that good persons do nothing." So all across our country people made their voices heard that this is unacceptable. My son who is contemplating going to college in Florida wonders how close is Sanford to his possible college choice.

All across this country and throughout the world people seemingly have had enough. No longer are we prepared to allow institutions, corporations or governments to go unchecked. Desmond reminds us "Bureaucracies are groups of people like you and me making choices that impact all of us. Our Business choices, for example, do not just have financial consequences, they have moral consequences."  I am convinced  that it is not revisionist history to believe that sanctions helped to encourage the South Africa government to do right by its people.

Galatians 4 vs. 4 " In the fullness of time " has always been one of my favorite scriptural verses.  One can ponder on it all the day long. How do we know when the time is fully come?  When is the time right?
Elders have a saying, "God may not come on our time, but God always comes on time." In an age in which according to Desmond,  "sometimes our technological expertise has seemed to top our moral capacity to use such expertise for the good of humanity." How do we get back on the right track?
Desmond suggests we need to get back to being our sister's and brother's keeper.

We make God's heart glad when we realize "what we are is God's gift to us, what we become is our gift to God." According to Desmond, God says, "I have no one except you, Thank you for vindicating Me."

I recently attended a conference  in Massachusetts. One of the presenters, Marcus Borg, spoke about God's dream "as something not vaporous and weak but as a desire, yearning, passion. God's passion is for justice in the world in which we live."

May we all in this fullness of time, be committed to God's passion and dream.

Live the dream,
The Very Rev'd Rene R. John
Dean of Trinity Cathedral

Chapter 7: Stillness. . .Hearing God's Voice

Have you ever noticed how noisy our world is today?  Television, radios, ipods, and a host of other things that fill every moment of our lives with chatter constantly bombard us.   It’s no wonder we don’t hear God … there’s no quiet or room for God to squeeze into the busyness and noise of the modern world.  Archbishop Desmond Tutu talks about the importance of stillness in his book “God Has A Dream.”  He challenges us to stop all the “doing” so that we might live into “being” what God desires.

I remember one of the times I had the chance to hear Tutu speak.  It was a Diocesan Convention and I came early to the hall, well before anyone else (a habit of mine).  There he was sitting quietly, alone in the auditorium.  When Tutu moved, I approached him.  We talked about the importance of being quiet in the course of the day.  Tutu said he liked to enter the church, chapel or hall wherever he was before he was to speak.  He liked to be in the place, quiet, still and listening.  I was dumbfounded to hear him say this, as this has often been my practice.  It is as important for us to be still and as it is for us to be moving!

Tutu shares that being still is not just a practice for the monks and nuns and occasionally a priest … it’s for all of Jesus’ disciples.  “Be still and know that I am God …” what clearer invitation do we need to retreat from our manic busyness and spend time with God?  There are several passages in the Gospels when Jesus retreated to be alone … to pray, to be in God’s presence.  Why is it that we think we need to constantly be doing to be faithful Christians?  It’s just as important to take time, to pause for prayer or reflection, for Bible reading or just being quiet so that God can get through all the noise and speak to us.
I like what Tutu has to say that it’s like sitting by a warm fire on a cold day (a favorite thing of mine to do!).  Just being there begins to transform us.  The longer we sit by the fire and look into its brightness, the warmer we become, the softer life becomes and the transformation takes place so that we can become one with the fire!  The moments of stillness and quiet can brings us closer to Jesus, closer to God and renew the fire inside of us.  The reality is that our internal flame in our souls grows dim and nearly extinguished without rekindling it in the presence of God.

My son, Sean, is an actor.  He got his mother’s good looks and my love for times of quiet.  I watch him perform different people in different plays on stage.  Sometimes he will be performing two entirely different plays at the same time.  It takes concentration and energy to become the characters he performs.  But he shares with me the need to be quiet, to let go of the last character he has performed in order return to being himself.  He needs the renewal of space and stillness before he can focus on the next character, the next production, and the next set of demands on the next stage.  Like me, he cherishes those times when he go for a quiet walk, sit in a park and read a book, daydream by the shore and renew his soul.  
This is what God desires … those opportunities to be with us away from all the hustle and bustle.  These are the places where God meets us, and renews us.  Maybe it’s the time in the morning when we awake in house before all others.  This may be the time we have for prayers, a cup of coffee or tea.  Maybe it’s the time in the afternoon when we leave the office to come back to a quiet house to read, rest and be alone ... just God and us.  Maybe it’s at the end of the day, when everyone is in bed, and we turn off the television or computer and meet God in the quiet of the night.  Maybe it’s on the retreat we take, away from the usual busyness and in a place dedicated to prayer, reflection, quiet and the opportunity just to be with God.

Archbishop Tutu shares wonderful insight into what has helped him to face a life pursuit of seeking peace and justice.  The invitation to him is the one God gives to us … come away for a while and be with me … and I will refresh and renew you.  May we find the way to be quiet, to share in the stillness and find the deep personal relationship with Jesus Christ that Tutu shows in his life.  May we become part of God’s dream and find the renewal and love that awaits us in just being on of God’s children.

By Rev. Dr. Patrick R. Close, Grace Church, Haddonfield, NJ