Date: Thursday 1st February 2024, 7-8.30pm
Location: Online via Zoom
The book
Malcolm Guite is a bestselling poet, priest and academic, and a life fellow of Girton College, Cambridge, where he was chaplain for nearly twenty years. Malcolm (his surname rhymes with sight) writes a column for the Church Times and blogs on theology, poetry and many other topics.
The Word within the words, is part of a series on ‘My Theology’ published by DLT. Malcolm describes how his Christian faith informs and underpins his poetry and, in turn, how poetry itself and, more widely, the poetic imagination helps him to understand and interpret his faith. He bears witness to how Scripture, Liturgy and Sacrament can each be understood as a poetry capable of transfiguring our vision and transforming our lives.
Overview of Group
This was a one-off discussion of the whole book, which is standard for most book groups, but relatively speedy for us! We therefore decided to extend the session from 60 to 90 minutes.
As usual, we notified the preceding group of the next book group a little in advance, and then publicised it to the wider Cathedral community via the monthly news and weekly sheet. The co-leaders met briefly in advance to plan the session content. Then we emailed the group members a week ahead with the Zoom details and some questions to mull over while reading.
- Reflect on your own approach to Scripture, Liturgy, Sacrament
- What is your ‘My Theology’ and what does it look like set loose in the world? (see p81)
Session Structure
Gathering prayer-poem to start the session.
Short introductory go-round: name; where you worship; whether you have read the book before or anything else by Malcolm.
Setting the scene: a brief introduction to the Slow Book Group and slow reading; Malcolm Guite and his ministry and writings; the My Theology book series; and the structure of Malcolm’s book.
Reflecting in the large group on the three chapters and the participants’ approaches to Scripture, Liturgy, Sacrament.
Discussion in break-out groups: What is your ‘My Theology’ and what does it look like set loose in the world? (see p81)
Guided meditation in the large group, a Lectio Divina reading of Malcolm’s poem “A Lens” on p83.
Closing prayer-poem: Malcolm’s poem “Candlemas”, which doesn’t feature in the book, but was appropriate to meeting on that feast day.
Follow-up material
After the group meeting, we encouraged participants to continue to sit with the book for a few more days, allowing what had been shared in the group to sink in. Then after a few weeks, we followed up with an email reminder of some of what we shared and further thoughts.
Opening prayer-poem, “Annunciation” by Scott Cairns:
Deep within the clay, and O my people
very deep within the wholly earthen
compound of our kind arrives of one clear,
star-illumined evening a spark igniting
once again the tinder of our lately
banked noetic fire. She burns but she
is not consumed. The dew lights gently,
suffusing the pure fleece. The wall comes down.
And—do you feel the pulse?—we all become
the kindled kindred of a King whose birth
thereafter bears to all a bright nativity.
Closing prayer-poem, “Candlemas” by Malcolm Guite:
They came, as called, according to the Law.
Though they were poor and had to keep things simple,
They moved in grace, in quietness, in awe,
For God was coming with them to His temple.
Amidst the outer court’s commercial bustle
They’d waited hours, enduring shouts and shoves,
Buyers and sellers, sensing one more hustle,
Had made a killing on the two young doves.They come at last with us to Candlemas
And keep the day the prophecies came true
We glimpse with them, amidst our busyness,
The peace that Simeon and Anna knew.
For Candlemas still keeps His kindled light,
Against the dark our Saviour’s face is bright.
One aspect of my ‘My Theology’ is friendship:
- Jesus said “I have called you friends” (John 15.12-17) and he even called Judas friend when he came mob-handed (Matthew 26.50)
- “Abraham … was called the friend of God” (James 2.23, quoting Isaiah 41.8, 2 Chronicles 20.7)
- Two books that have spoken to me in the past are Spiritual Friendship by Aelred of Rievaulx and Anam Cara by John O’Donohue.