Through the seven ‘I am ’ statements of Jesus from St John ’s Gospel, David Adam encourages us to find God in the present tense. Too often the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are spoken of in the past tense as if God was once at work but has ceased to be active now. This course will help us find the loving God who is present and with us now.
Each session includes prayers, suggested hymns, the Gospel reading, thoughts on the Gospel, an Old Testament reading, the reaction of others and our action. Periods of silence are also important so we can take to heart the words ‘Be still and know that I am God ’.
A poem by Christina Rossetti (1830-1894):
I have no wit, no words, no tears;
My heart within me like a stone
Is numbed too much for hopes or fears.
Look right, look left, I dwell alone;
I lift my eyes but dimmed with grief
No everlasting hills I see;
My life is like a falling leaf.
O Jesus, quicken me.
My life is like a faded leaf,
My harvest dwindled to a husk:
Truly my life is void and brief
And tedious in the barren dusk:
My life is like a frozen thing,
No bud or greenness can I see,
Yet rise it shall - the sap of Spring,
O Jesus, rise in me.
One of David Adam's own prayers:
Come, Lord Christ,
come to me.
Come as the Way
and lead me to your Kingdom.
Come, Lord Christ,
come to me.
Come as the Truth,
and reveal me to your glory.
Come, Lord Christ,
come to me.
Come as the Life
and bring me to life eternal.