October 14, 2021
Resources for this class:
The presentation on Creation and Covenant will concentrate on two biblical themes:
“image of God” as found in Gen 1:27-28 and ‘covenant’ as found in Exodus 6:7 and 34:6.
“Image of God’ underscores both our fundamental human limitedness as well as our extraordinary privilege with the created world.
“Covenant”signifies the character of the relationship God has established with us.
In preparation for this presentation, the participants might reflect on these biblical passages.
Questions for discussion:
- How might this understanding of “image of God” change our way of living in the world today?
- What might be some of the implications for us of being in ‘covenant’ with God?
Link to recorded session
For those who may want to review this session, or for those who couldn’t attend this second session here is the link to the evening event.
Something that struck me from Dianne’s presentation is her description of the “Old Testament God”. I have always thought of God as depicted in the Old Testament as a judgmental, vengeful God. Dianne has given me a very different image of God in the Old Testament. As she stated, the stories of the Old Testament are people telling their OWN stories of their OWN sinfulness and the consequences of their sinfulness. The stories remind us again and again of God’s faithfulness to the Covenant by giving them chance after chance after chance to renew their own faithfulness to that Covenant. I am hoping that we don’t have to suffer the severe consequences of our own sinfulness in caring for our Earth, our home. But it looks very bleak to me. As Dianne so beautifully reminds us, the survival of our Earth does not depend on us. Our survival depends on our treatment of the Earth. If we destroy ourselves by continually raping our Earth for our own greedy purposes, the Earth will heal itself when we are gone. If we do not live God’s Covenant with us and our sacred covenant with the Earth, we bring the dire consequences upon ourselves.
Dear Sr Dianne,
My love of scripture and continuous search to live out the message I hear proclaimed on a regular basis has been thoroughly enhanced as I was blessed to hear your presentation on the Creation and Covenant! I loved your image of God’s love as that of womb love, a love that is seen and felt through our own mother, a love that is unconditional and ongoing. I love people and nature. Some of my most spiritual moments have been in relationship with both! As I write this reflection I an picturing a scene in which all of creation, human, beast, rivers, valleys, mountains, stars, trees, flowers, etc., are all gathered as one on a great plateau called life! It seems as if they have all received the same memo and are ready to follow God’s lead in LOVE FOR ALL! I have never had a child but feel I have ‘birthed’ many forms of life both human and nature through the ‘womb’ love God has blessed me with over many years as an ‘ambassador’of Christ!
Thank you for sharing your invaluable gifts with us. I had the great pleasure of meeting you through your written word several years ago thanks to my pastor who considers you one of the best! He was spot on! Peace! Theresa Secord
Dianne’s talk on Creation and Covenant resonated with me. I especially connected with and have been reflecting on her description of Womb Love. Personally, my own womb has carried 3 pregnancies to term and delivered healthy babies. During pregnancy, feeling fetal movement is unlike any other feeling a human being can experience. It is hard to describe other than using Dianne’s terms – feeling fetal movement is my equivalent of Womb Love. This Womb Love continues to flourish from my children to me to present day. In Dianne’s words, “There is nothing you can do to make me stop loving you.” To this I say Amen!
Professionally, my entire nursing career has been in Obstetrics. My background is Labor and Delivery and now an Ob/Gyn ultrasonographer. I experience Womb Love daily. I consider my ultrasound room Sacred Space. It is here that Mommas come to me experiencing a wide range of emotions – some are anxious, frightened and confused, others are excited, joyful and grateful. Together we experience the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. When I see the relief wash over her when she hears the fetal heart beat or…..just the opposite…. being with her in her grief when no fetal heart beat is detected. My work is challenging and can be mentally exhausting but the rewards and fulfillment I experience daily keeps me coming back. Thank you, Dianne, for allowing me to reflect on my Womb Love experiences and reminding me how grateful I am to be able to do what I do.
Dianne Bergant talked about womb love. As a male person I realize I won’t ever understand that. And that is okay. I can however, reflect on the reality.
My sister lies in a hospital bed dying from covid. Her son is trying to convince her to go back on the ventilator. She refuses. The doctors have told her if she doesn’t go back on the ventilator she will die.
The biblical term, the fruit of her womb is there at her side trying to convince her to literally choose a life giving option. It is the only life-giving option the doctors have given her. And she is refusing. Of course, the voice of Moses in Deuteronomy 30-19 is prominent inside of me, “I set before you life and death, a blessing and a curse. Choose life that you may live.”
I truly believe that the reality of womb love is incredibly powerful. Yet the urgent situation in my family baffles me. The power of womb love which has the ability to overcome evil is not being chosen. And I go back to Dianne’s comments about original sin? The original sin she reminds us is that humanity wants to be God. And she reemphasized this with the Ezekiel text. Yet the stubbornness here is the inability to accept what God’s blessedness and goodness. And I can look at my sister and say this is ridiculous. But the truth is that its in me and in all of us. For when I refuse to accept someone else’s forgiveness…. Or out of jealousy I fail to appreciate another person’s promotion or achievement…. Or, Out of selfishness I don’t invest myself in an opportunity as the door opens before me?
Frequently, Womb Love needs to be rediscovered and chosen.