The Story:
WHOLENESS
Come back to the beginning. When there is nothing else. Only GOD. It is dark. The breath of God hovers over the surface of empty waters. With unrivalled imagination and immeasurable power, God speaks and the world begins. It all appears. Just as God says. Our world begins in the heart of a Loving Person. The original intent of all that we experience is formed in love.
FRACTURE
The first humans reject God's loving rule. A permanent stain marks the relationship between God and human beings. This stain effects other relationships too — relationships between humans; their relationship within themselves; and, their relationship with the rest of Creation. Something that had been perfectly whole is now incomplete. Corrupted. Distorted. Sadly, this first choice is just the beginning. Creation turns in on itself and unravels.
HEALING
Time after time, God shows His people a never-ending, ever-reaching love. Time after time, the people sadden God by going their own way - striving to make life work through their own efforts. They ignore God’s offers of love and leadership. Eventually, God comes to live among the humans. Jesus arrives in the story. Jesus reveals the priority of relationship with God. The religious people of his day also claimed to be close to God, but their lives showed the opposite. Jesus wasn’t just talking about the importance of a relationship with God, he was living it out. And people liked what they saw and how they felt when they were around Jesus. Well, most people — the religious leaders? Not so much.
RENEWAL
Three days after Jesus is executed, His tomb is found to be empty. People start to say that Jesus has been brought back to life. Two men recount an interaction they had on their road of grief, saying to a stranger : "We have been waiting so long for ‘The Messiah’. Instead, He was killed. We watched Him die. It wasn’t supposed to be like that. Now, we’re hearing a story that He could be alive!” Then, when the stranger speaks, they recognise Him as Jesus: “Don’t you see, these things had to happen. It is written - ‘The Messiah’ would have to suffer and then return to God. I had to die — it is the death for everyone’s sin. I choose to take on the weight of everyone else’s sin — and guilt and shame are completely wiped away.” Everything makes sense now. Humans are invited to participate in the hope that God is moving the world toward — where everything will be made new again.
Heart. Mind. Body. Soul.
The deepest part of who we are is spiritual.
It is through the tending of our souls where we discover meaning, purpose and belonging.
SoulWalk is an invitation into that discovery through the lens of the Christian story.
Engaging in this story is more than an academic exercise, it requires our whole selves:
- heart, mind, body, and soul.