Speechless

Ministerial Meandering

Speechless

‘Damn, we’re in a tight spot!’ says Everett - at several points in the movie, ‘Oh Brother, where art thou?’

He is, without doubt, the most well-spoken and convincing of the three escaped convicts - along with Delmar and Pete - who, whilst not appearing to be too tightly wrapped, more rapidly cotton on to the spiritual significance of what happens to them after their escape from the chain gang.

Based loosely around Homer’s Odyssey, and turned into a comedic physical running from the law - which is the spiritual parallel of running from the Devil, Everett, Pete, and Delmar challenge our souls, whilst they make us laugh.

I would like to be able to do that to you - though sometimes I think that my challenges to your souls may be a little too direct and punchy, and so put you off.  I guess subtlety has never really been my long suit.

Talking of subtlety, Sheila just got back from the Maritimes, and brought with her a beautiful photographic souvenir book from a museum of Inuit sculpture.

Although there was great movement and subtlety in the use of bone and stone, there was none in the subject matter that was being represented.  The messages were stark, unequivocal, and in some cases, brutal.  They left me speechless.

Were they beautiful? I’m not really sure.  Perhaps some would have found them so.  For me, however, they were raw, gritty, sharp, complicated, honest, and shocking.

The simplicity and danger that so many of these (occasionally tiny) figures represented was indescribable; I was jealous of what they said  - when I had no words.  I was speechless.  So I turned to my source of liberation to free my mental tongue - the written word.

And I find that as I put down these words, I am reminded of the early disciples who failed - so often - to comprehend what Jesus was about, and how his words left them dumfounded and speechless.  His demonstration of stark truths did that to them many times - such that they could well have said, along with Everett in their mental and spiritual blindness, ‘Damn, we’re in a tight spot!’

There is nothing wrong with admitting that fact - nor with realizing that we don’t ;always have the mental capacity to grasp the meaning of what is before us.

At such times, rather than being left speechless, I might suggest that a short and simple prayer - ‘Please explain!’ - might help.

Philip+