outWORD by Matte Downey

The Hebrew Bible, also known as the Old Testament, sometimes gets a bad rap. So much violence, so many harsh judgments and prophecies, so much bad behaviour, so much patriarchy. At first glance, it seems to paint a rather unattractive picture not only of the people of God but of God himself. But if we look a little closer, we find that things are not always as they seem. Take patriarchy, for example. Patriarchy is a societal and familial system in which the father and the eldest male are the authority figures. The first-born son dominates the family in power, wealth, and privilege. It is a system very unfriendly to women and anyone not lucky enough to be the firstborn male. And this objectionable, unjust system seems to lie at the very foundation of Judaism and Christianity. What is one to do with those pesky patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob? The first thing we can do is note that while patriarchy is the context of the story of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, it is not t...

Prepositions are rather tricky. When learning a new language, these small connecting words are one of the most difficult elements to get right. Prepositions are generally short and simple words, but they carry great weight. Is Bob running to Julie or from Julie? Are you  at your desk or under your desk? The entire meaning of a sentence can hinge on a preposition and dictate whether one should be comforted or alarmed. Is the cat on your stomach or in your stomach? Prepositions are relationship words. They define how subjects, objects, and other elements of a sentence relate to each other. In the context of religion, prepositions reveal how we relate to God and to the world. Two prepositions, in particular, seem quite important in matters of faith and spirituality: for and with . We thank Jesus because he died for us. We ask God to do things  for  us. We say that God is for us and not against us. The word "for" places us in a receiving, passive position and ...

A significant portion of our gathering as a church community is spent in what we call worship. It is usually a time when we sing songs together. For the most part, we assume that people know what to do during these times of worship. We encourage people to engage, to be present, to participate, but we say very little about what that might look like. In some ways, worship is natural; we easily attribute worth and value to those things which we admire and love. But the expression of those beliefs or feelings needs to be cultivated, developed, and practised. Worshipping God is something we need to learn how to do. Worship, what is it? Worship is closely related to love. In fact, sometimes I find it helpful to substitute the word “love” for “worship.” Worship is demonstrating love and devotion to someone or something (worth-ship). Worship is an expression that comes out of our deepest convictions, feelings, and desires. It is the heart in full bloom. Worship is both personal an...