Day 3 5 Images of God Beth Nolen

* Who are we really praying to?

When you were a child, what was your image of God? What did you imagine that God was like? What would a google search reveal?

Has your image of God changed from when you were a child? If so, can you name 1 or 2 factors that contributed to that change?

*Ezekiel 34: 11 -16 (God is like a Shepherd) *Jeremiah 18: 1 -6 (God is like a Potter) *Isaiah 49: 15 (God is like a mother) *Deuteronomy 32: 10 -12 (God is like an eagle) *1 Kings 19: 11 -20 (God can be found in the sound of sheer silence) *Isaiah 42: 13 -15 (God is like a soldier, and a woman in labor) *

*The introduction of one God (instead of a God for this, another God for that…) *The introduction of the monarchical images of God (King, sits on a throne in heaven…) *God was perceived as male, creator of the world but apart from it (in heaven). * Images of God from the Greek world

* So let’s analyse some images of God in prayers

Glory to God in the highest, and peace to His people on earth. Lord God, heavenly King, Almighty God and Father, we worship You, we give You thanks, we praise You for Your glory. Lord Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father, Lord God, Lamb of God, You take away the sin of the world: have mercy on us; You are seated at the right hand of the Father: receive our prayer.

Dear God, We pray that your presence will be with us today, as we gather for this special occasion. May we be blest in our work. May we be blest in our lives. Amen.

Almighty and ever loving Father, We pray that you will bring about peace in our world, and in our lives. We ask this prayer through your son, Jesus Who taught us how to pray. Amen We pray for Dominic, that he will get well and be healed from all illness. Heavenly God, hear us. Heavenly God, hear our prayer.

We pray for the poor of our world. Please lift them from poverty and ease the burden they carry in their lives. We pray for rain. Send water on our parched earth and have compassion on our farmers, who need rain so desperately. Lord hear us.

“God is not only our father, but even more so our mother”. Pope John Paul I

Naming God in Prayer

To assist students to write great prayers: 1. Start with a name for God that is meaningful 2. Allow God to be God in the prayer and avoid telling God what to do 3. Create a list of useful verbs for prayer (e. g. instead of ‘May we be’…empower us; strengthen us; guide us…) 4. Critique theology coming through in the prayer (what is this prayer saying about what God is like? ).

And what about songs people use for prayer: God is watching us. . .

Beth Nolen Education Officer, Religious Education bnolen@bne. catholic. edu. au